fork    L  Applet  1'U    &-.  Co 


ENTERED,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 

D.  APPLETON  &  COMPANY, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


CONTENTS. 
PART  I. 

LEE'S     EARLY       LIFE. 

I. — Introduction,        .                                                   ...  1 

II.— The  Lees  of  Virginia,             .....  4 

III. — General  "  Light-Horse  Harry  "  Lee,         .  .  .  .10 

IV.— Stratford, 13 

V. — Lee's  Early  Manhood  and  Career  in  the  United  States  Army,     .  17 

VI.— Lee  and  Scott, 24 

VII. — Lee  resigns,          .            .            .            .            .  27 

VIII. — His  Reception  at  Richmond,              .            .            .            .  33 

IX.— Lee  in  1861,         ...                        ...  36 

X.— The  War  begins,        ......  43 

XI. — Lee's  Advance  into  Western  Virginia,    .  .  .  .44 

XII.— Lee's  Last  Interview  with  Bishop  Meade,      ...  46 

PART  II. 

IN    FRONT     OF    RICHMOND. 

I. — Plan  of  the  Federal  Campaign,    .....  49 

II. — Johnston  is  wounded,             .            .            .            .            .  53 

III. — Lee  assigned  to  the  Command — his  Family  at  the  White  House,  59 

IV. — Lee  resolves  to  attack,          .            .            .            .            •  63 

V.— Stuart's  " Ride  around  McClellan,"          .  .  .  ..65 


IV  CONTENTS. 

PART  III. 

ON     THE     CHI  GKA  HO  MINT. 

AOB 

I.— The  Two  Armies,       .......  70 

II. — Lee's  Plan  of  Assault,      ......        75 

III. — The  Battle  of  the  Chick  ahominy,      .            .            .            .  78 

IV.— The  Retreat,        .  .....        8G 

V. — Richmond  hi  Danger — Lee's  Views,              .            .            .  91 

VI. — Lee  and  McClellan — their  Identity  of  Opinion,  .            .  .90 

PART  IY. 

TEE    WAR    ADVANCES   NORTHWARD. 

I.— Lee's  Protest,             ......  101 

II. — Lee's  Manceuvres,            .            .            .            .            .  .107 

III. — Lee  advances  from  the  Rapidan,       .            .            .            .  110 

IV. — Jackson  flanks  General  Pope,     .            .            .            .  .115 

V.— Lee  follows,               .            .            .           .           .           .  117 

VI. — The  Second  Battle  of  Manassas,             .            .            .  .120 

PART  V. 

LEE    INVADES     MARYLAND. 

I.— His  Designs,               .            .            .            .            .            .  125 

II.— Lee  in  Maryland,             .            .            .            .            .  .129 

III.— Movements  of  the  Two  Armies,        .            .            .            .  133 

IV.— The  Prelude  to  Sharpsburg,        .            .„                      .  .137 

V.— The  Battle  of  Sharpsburg,    .....  140 

VI. — Lee  and  McClellan — their  Merits  in  the  Maryland  Campaign,  .       150 

VII. — Lee  and  his  Men,        .            .            .            .                        .  154 

VIII.— Lee  passes  the  Blue  Ridge,         .           .           .           .  .160 

IX. — Lee  concentrates  at  Fredericksburg,              .           .           .  167 

X. — The  Battle  of  Fredericksburg,    ...  172 


CONTENTS.  y 


no* 


XI. — Final  Movements  of  1862,     ...          .  . 

XII.— The  Year  of  Battles,      .  ,  .  194 

XIII. — Lee  in  December,  1862,          .....  193 


PART  VI. 

CHANCELL  ORS  VILLE    AND    GETTYSBURG.. 

1. — Advance  of  General  Hooker,       .             .             .             .  210 

II. — The  Wilderness,          .             .             .             .             .  219 

III. — Lee's  Determination,        .             .             .  224 

IV. — Jackson's  Attack  and  Fall,     .            .            .            .  229 

V. — The  Battle  of  Chancellorsville,    .            .  237 

VI. — Flank  Movement  of  General  Sedgwick,          .            .  246 

VII. — Lee's  Generalship  and  Personal  Demeanor  during  the  Campaign,       250 

VIII. — Personal  Relations  of  Lee  and  Jackson,         .  262 

IX. — Circumstances  leading  to  the  Invasion  of  Pennsylvania,  .       268 

X. — Lee's  Plans  and  Objects,        ....  274 

XI. — The  Cavalry-fight  at  Fleetwood,  .             .             .  277 

XII. — The  March  to  Gettysburg,     ....  281 

XIII. — Lee  in  Pennsylvania,        ....  289 

XIV. — Concentration  at  Gettysburg,             .             .  294 

XV. — The  First  Day's  Fight  at  Gettysburg,      .             .             .  .297 

XVI. — The  Two  Armies  in  Position,             .            .            .  305 

XVII.— The  Second  Day, 310 

XTIIL—  The  Last  Charge  at  Gettysburg,        .            .            .  .            3^ 

XIX. — Lee  after  the  Charge,      .            .            .  325 

XX. — Lee's  Retreat  across  the  Potomac,    .            .            .  328 

XXI. — Across  the  Blue  Ridge  again,      .                        ,  335 


PART  VII. 

LAST     CAMPAIGNS     OF     THE     TEAR    1863. 

I. — The  Cavalry  of  Lee's  Army,  ....  339 

II. — Lee  flanks  General  Meade,  343 


CONTENTS. 

MM 

III. — A  Race  between  Two  Armies,           .            .  ,            350 

IV.— The  Fight  at  Buckland,  ...  .355 

V.— The  Advance  to  Mine  Run,    ...  .359 

VI.— Lee  in  the  Autumn  and  Winter  of  1863,  .            .           .871 


PART    VIII. 

* 
LEE'S    LAST    CAMPAIGNS    AND    LAST    DAYS. 

I. — General  Grant  crosses  the  Rapidan,               .            .            .  379 

II.— The  First  Collision  in  the  Wilderness,    .            .            .  .386 

III.— The  Battle  of  the  6th  of  May,          ....  388 

IV.— The  12th  of  May, 393 

V. — From  Spottsylvania  to  the  Chickahominy,    .            .            .  899 

VI. — First  Battles  at  Petersburg,        .            .            .            .  .   •  408 

VII.— The  Siege  of  Richmond  begun,         ....  414 

VIII. — Lee  threatens  Washington,        .            .            .            .  .417 

IX.— The  Mine  Explosion,              .            .            .            .            .  421 

X.— End  of  the  Campaign  of  1864,   .            .            .            .  .424 

XL— Lee  in  the  Winter  of  1864-'65,         ....  427 

XII. — The  Situation  at  the  Beginning  of  1865,            .            .  .       434 

XIII. — Lee  attacks  the  Federal  Centre,        ....  439 

XIV. — The  Southern  Lines  broken,        .            .            .            .  .442 

XV. — Lee  evacuates  Petersburg,     .....  445 

XVI.— The  Retreat  and  Surrender,        .            .            .            .  .450 

XVII. — Lee  returns  to  Richmond,     .            .            .            .            .  464 

SVIIL— General  Lee  after  the  War,         .  .469 

XIX.— General  Lee's  Last  Years  and  Death,  487 

APPENDIX. 

I. — The  Funeral  of  General  Lee,      .            ,            .            .  .502 

II.— Tributes  to  General  Lee,        .            .            .            .            .  607 


A     LIFE 


OP 


GENEEAL  KOBEET   EDWAED   LEE, 


PART  I. 
LEE'S    EARLY    LIFE. 


I. 

INTKODUCTION. 

THE  name  of  Lee  is  beloved  and  respected  throughout 
the  world.  Men  of  all  parties  and  opinions  unite  in  this 
sentiment,  not  only  those  who  thought  and  fought  with 
him,  but  those  most  violently  opposed  to  his  political  views 
and  career.  It  is  natural  that  his  own  people  should  love 
and  honor  him  as  their  great  leader  and  defender  in  a  strug 
gle  of  intense  bitterness — that  his  old  enemies  should  share 
this  profound  regard  and  admiration  is  due  solely  to  the 
character  of  the  individual.  His  military,  genius  will  al 
ways  be  conceded,  and  his  figure  remain  a  conspicuous 
landmark  in  history  ;  but  this  does  not  account  for  the  fact 
that  his  very  enemies  love  the  man.  His  private  character 
is  the  origin  of  this  sentiment.  The  people  of  the  North, 
no  less  than  the  people  of  the  South,  feel  that  Lee  was  truly 
great ;  and  the  harshest  critic  has  been  able  to  find  nothing 


2  LEE'S   EARLY   LIFE. 

to  detract  from  this  view  of  him.  The  soldier  was  great, 
but  the  man  himself  was  greater.  JSTo  one  was  ever  sim 
pler,  truer,  or  more  honest.  Those  who  knew  him  best 
loved  him  the  most.  Reserved  and  silent,  with  a  bearing 
of  almost  austere  dignity,  he  impressed  many  persons  as 
cold  and  unsympathetic,  and  his  true  character  was  long  in 
revealing  itself  to  the  world.  To-day  all  men  know  what 
his  friends  knew  during  his  life — that  under  the  grave  ex 
terior  of  the  soldier,  oppressed  with  care  and  anxiety,  beat 
a  warm  and  kindly  heart,  full  of  an  even  extraordinary 
gentleness  and  sweetness ;  that  the  man  himself  was  not 
cold,  or  stiff,  or  harsh,  but  patient,  forbearing,  charitable 
under  many  trials  of  his  equanimity,  and  magnanimous 
without  effort,  from  the  native  impulse  of  his  heart.  Friend 
and  foe  thus  to-day  regard  him  with  much  the  same  senti 
ment,  as  a  genuinely  honest  man,  incapable  of  duplicity  in 
thought  or  deed,  wholly  good  and  sincere,  inspired  always 
under  all  temptations  by  that  prisca  fides  which  purifies 
and  ennobles,  and  resolutely  bent,  in  the  dark  hour,  as  in  the 
bright,  on  the  full  performance  of  his  duty.  "  Duty  is  the 
sublimest  word  in  our  language,"  he  wrote  to  his  son ;  and, 
if  we  add  that  other  august  maxim,  "  Human  virtue  should 
be  equal  to  human  calamity,"  we  shall  have  in  a  few  words 
a  summary  of  the  principles  which  inspired  Lee. 

The  crowning  grace  of  this  man,  who  was  thus  not  only 
great  but  good,  was  the  humility  and  trust  in  God,  which 
lay  at  the  foundation  of  his  character.  Upon  this  point  we 
shall  quote  the  words  of  a  gentleman  of  commanding  in 
tellect,  a  bitter  opponent  of  the  South  in  the  war  : 

"  Lee  is  worthy  of  all  praise.  As  a  man,  he  was  fearless  among 
men.  As  a  soldier,  he  had  no  superior  and  no  equal.  In  the  course 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

of  Nature  my  career  on  earth  may  soon  terminate.  God  grant  that, 
when  the  day  of  my  death  shall  come,  I  may  look  up  to  Heaven  with 
that  confidence  and  faith  which  the  life  and  character  of  Robert  E. 
Lee  gave  him.  He  died  trusting  in  God  as  a  good  man,  with  a  good 
life,  and  a  pure  conscience." 

He  had  lived,  as  he  died,  with  this  supreme  trust  in  an 
overruling  and  merciful  Providence;  and  this  sentiment, 
pervading  his  whole  being,  was  the  origin  of  that  august 
calmness  with  which  he  greeted  the  most  crushing  disasters 
of  his  military  career.  His  faith  and  humble  trust  sustained 
him  after  the  war,  when  the  woes  of  the  South  wellnigh 
broke  his  great  spirit ;  and  he  calmly  expired,  as  a  weary 
child  falls  asleep,  knowing  that  its  father  is  near. 

Of  this  eminent  soldier  and  man  whose  character  offers 
so  great  an  example,  a  memoir  is  attempted  in  this  volume. 
The  work  will  necessarily  be  "  popular "  rather  than  full 
and  elaborate,  as  the  public  and  private  correspondence  of 
Lee  are  not  at  this  time  accessible.  These  will  throw  a 
fuller  light  on  the  subject ;  but  sufficient  material  is  at  the 
disposal  of  the  writer  to  enable  him  to  present  an  accurate 
likeness  of  Lee,  and  to  narrate  clearly  the  incidents  of  his 
career.  In  doing  so,  the  aim  of  the  author  is  to  measure 
out  full  justice  to  all — not  to  arouse  old  enmities,  which 
should  be  allowed  to  slumber,  but  to  treat  his  subject  with 
the  judicial  moderation  of  the  student  of  history. 

A  few  words  will  terminate  this  preface.  The  vomme 
before  the  reader  was  begun  in  1866.  The  writer  first, 
however,  informed  General  Lee  of  his  design,  and  had  the 
honor  to  receive  from  him  in  reply  the  assurance  that  the 
work  "  would  not  interfere  with  any  he  might  have  in  con 
templation  ;  he  had  not  written  a  line  of  any  work  as  yet, 


i  ,  *  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

and  might  never  do  so ;  but,  should  he  write  a  history  of  the 
campaigns  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  the  proposed 
work  would  be  rather  an  assistance  than  a  hinderance." 

As  the  writer  had  offered  promptly  to  discontinue  the 
work  if  it  were  not  agreeable  to  General  Lee,  this  reply 
was  regarded  in  the  light  of  an  assurance  that  he  did  not 
disapprove  of  it.  The  composition  was,  however,  inter 
rupted,  and  the  work  laid  aside.  It  is  now  resumed  and 
completed  at  a  time  when  the  death  of  the  illustrious  sol 
dier  adds  a  new  and  absorbing  interest  to  whatever  is  con 
nected  with  his  character  or  career. 


II. 

THE    LEES    OF   VIRGINIA. 

THE  Lees  of  Virginia  spring  from  an  ancient  and  re 
spectable  family  of  Essex,  in  England. 

Of  some  members  of  the  family,  both  in  the  Old  World 
and  the  New,  a  brief  account  will  be  given.  The  origin  of 
an  individual  explains  much  that  is  striking  and  peculiar  in 
his  own  character ;  and  it  will  be  found  that  General  Lee 
inherited  many  of  the  traits  of  his  ancestors,  especially  of 
some  eminent  personages  of  his  name  in  Virginia. 

The  family  pedigree  is  traced  back  by  Lee,  in  the  life  of 
his  father,  to  Launcelot  Lee,  of  London,  in  France,  who  ac 
companied  "William  the  Conqueror  to  England.  After  the  bat 
tle  of  Hastings,  which  subjected  England  to  the  sway  of  the 
Normans,  Launcelot  Lee,  like  others,  was  rewarded  by  lands 
wrested  from  the  subdued  Saxons.  His  estate  lay  in  Essex, 
and  this  is  all  that  is  known  concerning  him.  Lionel  Lee 


THE  LEES  OF  VIRGINIA.  5 

is  the  next  member  of  the  family  of  whom  mention  is  made. 
He  lived  during  the  reign  of  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion,  and, 
when  the  king  went  on  his  third  crusade,  in  the  year  1192, 
Lionel  Lee  raised  a  company  of  gentlemen,  and  marched 
with  him  to  the  Holy  Land.  His  career  there  was  distin 
guished  ;  he  displayed  special  gallantry  at  the  siege  of  Acre, 
and  for  this  he  received  a  solid  proof  of  King  Richard's 
approbation.  On  his  return  he  was  made  first  Earl  of  Litch- 
field ;  the  king  presented  him  with  the  estate  of  "  Ditch- 
ley,"  which  became  the  name  afterward  of  an  estate  of  the 
Lees  in  Virginia;  and,  when  he  died,  the  armor  which  he 
had  worn  in  the  Holy  Land  was  placed  in  the  department 
of  "  Horse  Armory  "  in  the  great  Tower  of  London. 

The  name  of  Richard  Lee  is  next  mentioned  as  one  of 
the  followers  of  the  Earl  of  Surrey  in  his  expedition  across 
the  Scottish  border  in  1542.  Two  of  the  family  about  this 
period  were  "  Knights  Companions  of  the  Garter,"  and  their 
banners,  with  the  Lee  arms  above,  were  suspended  in  St. 
George's  Chapel  in  "Windsor  Castle.  The  coat-of-arms  was 
a  shield  "  band  sinister  battled  and  embattled,"  the  crest  a 
closed  visor  surmounted  by  a  squirrel  holding  a  nut.  The 
motto,  which  may  be  thought  characteristic  of  one  of  Gen 
eral  Lee's  traits  as  a  soldier,  was,  "Non  incautus  futuri" 

Such  are  the  brief  notices  given  of  the  family  in  Eng 
land.  They  seem  to  have  been  persons  of  high  character, 
and  often  of  distinction.  "When  Richard  Lee  came  to  Vir 
ginia,  and  founded  the  family  anew  there,  as  Launcelot,  the 
first  Lee,  had  founded  it  in  England,  he  brought  over  in  his 
veins  some  of  the  best  and  most  valiant  blood  of  the  great 
Norman  race. 

This  Richard  Lee,  the  princeps  of  the  family  in  Yir- 


6  LEE'S  EARLY   LIFE. 

ginia,  was,  it  seems,  like  the  rest  of  his  kindred,  strongly 
Cavalier  in  his  sentiments ;  indeed,  the  Lees  seem  always  to 
have  been  Cavalier.  The  reader  will  recall  the  stately  old 
representative  of  the  family  in  Scott's  "  Woodstock  " — Sir 
Henry  Lee  of  Ditchley — who  is  seen  stalking  proudly 
through  the  great  apartments  of  the  palace,  in  his  laced 
doublet,  slashed  boots,  and  velvet  cloak,  scowling  darkly  at 
the  Puritan  intruders.  Sir  Henry  was  not  a  fanciful  per 
son,  but  a  real  individual ;  and  the  political  views  attributed 
to  him  were  those  of  the  Lee  family,  jvho  remained  faithful 
to  the  royal  cause  in  all  its  hours  of  adversity. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Richard  Lee,  the  first  of  the  Virginia 
Lees,  was  an  ardent  monarchist.  He  came  over  during  the 
reign  of  Charles  I.,  but  returned  to  England,  bequeathing  all 
his  lands  to  his  servants;  he  subsequently  came  back  to 
Virginia,  however,  and  lived  and  died  there.  In  his  will  he 
styles  himself  "  Richard  Lee,  of  Strafford  Langton,  in  the 
County  of  Essex,  Esquire."  It  is  not  certainly  known 
whether  he  sought  refuge  in  Yirginia  after  the  failure  of 
the  king's  cause,  or  was  tempted  to  emigrate  with  a  view 
to  better  his  fortunes  in  the  New  World.  Either  may 
have  been  the  impelling  motive.  Great  numbers  of 
Cavaliers  "  came  over "  after  the  overthrow  of  Charles  at 
Kaseby;  but  a  large  emigration  had  already  taken  place, 
and  took  place  afterward,  induced  by  the  salubrity  of  the 
country,  the  ease  of  living,  and  the  cheapness  and  fertility 
of  the  lands  on  the  great  rivers,  where  families  impoverished 
or  of  failing  fortunes  in  England  might  "  make  new  settle 
ments  "  and  build  on  a  new  foundation.  This  would  amply 
account  for  the  removal  of  Richard  Lee  to  Yirginia,  and  for 
the  ambition  he  seems  to  have  been  inspired  with,  to  build 


THE  LEES  OF  VIRGINIA.  7 

and  improve,  without  attributing  to  him  any  apprehension 
of  probable  punishment  for  his  political  course.  Yery  many 
families  had  the  first-named  motives,  and  commenced  to 
build  great  manor-houses,  which  were  never  finished,  or 
were  too  costly  for  any  one  of  their  descenckmts  to  possess. 
The  abolition  of  primogeniture,  despite  the  opposition  of 
Pendleton  and  others,  overthrew  all  this ;  and  the  Lees,  like 
other  families,  now  possess  few  of  the  broad  acres  which 
their  ancestors  acquired. 

To  return,  however,  to  Richard  Lee.  He  had  already 
visited  Virginia  in  some  official  capacity  under  the  royal 
governor,  Sir  William  Berkeley,  and  had  been  so  much 
pleased  with  the  soil  and  climate  of  the  country,  that  he,  as 
we  have  said,  emigrated  finally,  and  cast  his  lot  in  the  new 
land.  He  brought  a  number  of  followers  and  servants, 
and,  coming  over  to  Westmoreland  County,  in  the  North 
ern  Keck  of  Yirginia,  "  took  up  "  extensive  tracts  of  land 
there,  and  set  about  building  manor-houses  upon  them. 

'Among  these,  it  is  stated,  was  the  original  u  Stratford  " 
House,  afterward  destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  rebuilt,  how 
ever,  and  became  the  birthplace  of  Richard  Henry  Lee, 
and  afterward  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee.  We  shall  speak 
of  it  more  in  detail  after  finishing,  in  a  few  words,  our 
notice  of  Richard  Lee,  its  founder,  and  the  founder  of  the 
Lee  family  in  Yirginia.  He  is  described  as  a  person  of 
great  force  of  character  and  many  virtues — as  "  a  man  of 
good  stature,  comely  visage,  enterprising  genius,  sound 
head,  vigorous  spirit,  and  generous  nature."  This  may  be 
suspected  to  partake  of  the  nature  of  epitaph  *  but,  of  his 
courage  and  energy,  the  proof  remains  in  the  action  taken 
by  him  in  connection  with  Charles  II.  Inheriting,  it  would 


8  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

seem,  in  full  measure,  the  royalist  and  Cavalier  sentiments 
of  his  family,  he  united  with  Sir  William  Berkeley,  the 
royal  governor,  in  the  irregular  proclamation  of  Charles  II. 
in  Yirginia,  a  year  or  two  before  his  reinstallment  on  the 
English  throned  He  had  already,  it  is  reported  on  the  au 
thority  of  well-supported  tradition,  made  a  voyage  across 
the  Atlantic  to  Breda,  where  Charles  II.  was  then  in  exile, 
and  offered  to  erect  his  standard  in  Yirginia,  and  proclaim 
him  king  there.  This  proposition  the  young  monarch  de 
clined,  shrinking,  with  excellent  good  sense,  from  a  renewal, 
under  less  favorable  circumstances,  of  the  struggle  which 
terminated  at  Worcester.  Lee  was,  therefore,  compelled  to 
return  without  having  succeeded  in  his  enterprise ;  but  he 
had  made,  it  seems,  a  very  strong  impression  in  favor  of 
Virginia  upon  the  somewhat  frivolous  young  monarch. 
When  he  came  to  his  throne  again,  Charles  II.  graciously 
wore  a  coronation-robe  of  Yirginia  silk,  and  Yirginia,  who 
had  proved  so  faithful  to  him  in  the  hour  of  his  need,  was 
authorized,  by  royal  decree,  to  rank  thenceforward,  in  the 
British  empire,  with  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  and 
bear  upon  her  shield  the  motto,  "En  dat  Virginia  quar- 
tarn." 

Richard  Lee  returned,  after  his  unsuccessful  mission,  to 
the  Northern  Neck,  and  addressed  himself  thenceforward 
to  the  management  of  his  private  fortunes  and  the  affairs 
of  the  colony.  He  had  now  become  possessed  of  very  ex 
tensive  estates  between  the  Potomac  and  Rappahannock 
Rivers  and  elsewhere.  Besides  Stratford,  he  owned  planta 
tions  called*  Mocke  Neck,"  « Mathotick,"  "  Paper-Maker's 
Neck,"  "War  Captain's  Neck,"  "Bishop's  Neck,"  and 
"  Paradise,"  with  four  thousand  acres  besides,  on  the  Po- 


THE  LEES  OF  VIRGINIA.  9 

tomac,  lands  in  Maryland,  three  islands  in  Chesapeake  Bay, 
an  interest  in  several  trading-vessels,  and  innumerable  in 
dented  and  other  servants.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
King's  Council,  and  lived  in  great  elegance  and  comfort. 
That  he  was  a  man  of  high  character,  and  of  notable  piety 
for  an  age  of  free  living  and  worldly  tendencies,  his  will 
shows.  In  that  document  he  bequeaths  his  soul  "  to  that 
good  and  gracious  God  that  gave  it  me,  and  to  my  blessed 
Kedeemer,  Jesus  Christ,  assuredly  trusting,  in  and  by  His 
meritorious  death  and  passion,  to  receive  salvation." 

The  attention  of  the  reader  has  been  particularly  called 
to  the  character  and  career  of  Richard  Lee,  not  only  be 
cause  he  was  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Yirginia,  but 
because  the  traits  of  the  individual  reappear  very  promi 
nently  in  the  great  soldier  whose  life  is  the  subject  of  this 
volume.  The  coolness,  courage,  energy,  and  aptitude  for 
great  affairs,  which  marked  Richard  Lee  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  were  unmistakably  present  in  the  character  of 
Robert  E.  Lee  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

We  shall  conclude  our  notice  of  the  family  by  calling 
attention  to  that  great  group  of  celebrated  men  who  illus 
trated  the  name  in  the  days  of  the  Revolution,  and  ex 
hibited  the  family  characteristics  as  clearly.  These  were 
Richard  Henry  Lee,  of  Chantilly,  the  famous  orator  and 
statesman,  who  moved  in  the  American  Congress  the  Dec 
laration  of  Independence ;  Francis  Lightfoot  Lee,  a  scholar 
of  elegant  attainments  and  high  literary  accomplishments, 
who  signed,  with  his  more  renowned  brother,  the  Declara 
tion  ;  "William  Lee,  who  became  Sheriff  of  London,  and 
ably  seconded  the  cause  of  the  colonies ;  and  Arthur  Lee, 
diplomatist  and  representative  of  America  abroad,  where 


10  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

he  displayed,  as  his  diplomatic  correspondence  indicates, 
untiring  energy  and  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  colonies. 
The  last  of  these  brothers  was  Philip  Ludwell  Lee,  whose 
daughter  Matilda  married  her  second  cousin,  General  Henry 
Lee.  This  gentleman,  afterward  famous  as  "  Light-Horse 
Harry "  Lee,  married  a  second  time,  and  from  this  union 
sprung  the  subject  of  this  memoir. 


III. 

GENEEAL    "LIGHT-HOKSE   HARRY"    LEE. 

THIS  celebrated  soldier,  who  so  largely  occupied  the 
public  eye  in  the  Revolution,  is  worthy  of  notice,  both  as  an 
eminent  member  of  the  Lee  family,  and  as  the  father  of 
General  Robert  E.  Lee. 

He  was  born  in  1756,  in  the  county  of  Westmoreland — 
which  boasts  of  being  the  birthplace  of  Washington,  Mon 
roe,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  General  Henry  Lee,  and  General 
Robert  E.  Lee,  Presidents,  statesmen,  and  soldiers — and, 
after  graduating  at  Princeton  College,  entered  the  army,  in 
1776,  as  captain  of  cavalry,  an  arm  of  the  service  afterward 
adopted  by  his  more  celebrated  descendant,  in  the  United 
States  army.  He  soon  displayed  military  ability  of  high 
order,  and,  for  the  capture  of  Paulus's  Hook,  received  a  gold 
medal  from  Congress.  In  1781  he  marched  with  his  "  Le 
gion  "  to  join  Greene  in  the  Carolinas,  carrying  with  him  the 
high  esteem  of  Washington,  who  had  witnessed  his  skilful 
and  daring  operations  in  the  Jerseys.  His  career  in  the  ar 
duous  campaigns  of  the  South  against  Cornwallis,  and  the 
efficient  commander  of  his  cavalry  arm.  Colonel  Tarleton, 


GENERAL   "  LIGHT-IIORSE   HARRY"   LEE.  U 

may  be  best  understood  from  General  Greene's  dispatches, 
and  from  his  own  memoirs  of  the  operations  of  the  army, 
which  are  written  with  as  much  modesty  as  ability.  From 
these  it  is  apparent  that  the  small  body  of  the  "  Legion  " 
cavalry,  under  its  active  and  daring  commander,  was  the 
"  eye  and  ear "  of  Greene's  army,  whose  movements  it 
accompanied  everywhere,  preceding  its  advances  and  cover 
ing  its  retreats.  Few  pages  of  military  history  are  more 
stirring  than  those  in  Lee's  "  Memoirs  "  describing  Greene's 
retrograde  movement  to  the  Dan ;  and  this  alone,  if  the 
hard  work  at  the  Eutaws  and  elsewhere  were  left  out,  would 
place  Lee's  fame  as  a  cavalry  officer  upon  a  lasting  basis. 
The  distinguished  soldier  under  whose  eye  the  Virginian 
operated  did  full  justice  to  his  courage  and  capacity.  "  I 
believe,"  wrote  Greene,  u  that  few  officers,  either  in  Europe 
or  America,  are  held  in  so  high  a  position  of  admiration  as 
you  are.  Everybody  knows  I  have  the  highest  opinion  of 
you  as  an  officer,  and  you  know  I  love  you  as  a  friend.  No 
man,  in  the  progress  of  the  campaign,  had  equal  merit  with 
yourself."  The  officer  who  wrote  those  lines  was  not  a  cour 
tier  nor  a  diplomatist,  but  a  blunt  and  honest  soldier  who 
had  seen  Lee's  bearing  in  the  most  arduous  straits,  and 
was  capable  of  appreciating  military  ability.  Add  Washing 
ton's  expression  of  his  "  love  and  thanks,"  in  a  letter  written 
in  1789,  and  the  light  in  which  he  was  regarded  by  his  con 
temporaries  will  be  understood. 

His  "  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the  Southern  Department " 
is  a  valuable '  military  history  and  a  very  interesting  book. 
The  movements  of  Greene  in  face  of  Cornwallis  are  de 
scribed  with  a  precision  which  renders  the  narrative  valua 
ble  to  military  students,  and  a  picturesqueness  which  rivets 


12  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

the  attention  of  the  general  reader.  From  these  memoirs  a 
very  clear  conception  of  the  writer's  character  may  be  de 
rived,  and  everywhere  in  them  is  felt  the  presence  of  a  cool 
and  dashing  nature,  a  man  gifted  with  the  mens  cequa  in 
arduis,  whom  no  reverse  of  fortune  could  cast  down.  The 
fairness  and  courtesy  of  the  writer  toward  his  opponents  is 
an  attractive  characteristic  of  the  work,*  which  is  written 
with  a  simplicity  and  directness  of  style  highly  agreeable  to 
readers  of  judgment.f 

After  the  war  General  Henry  Lee  served  a  term  in  Con 
gress  ;  was  then  elected  Governor  of  Virginia ;  returned  in 
1799  to  Congress ;  and,  in  his  oration  upon  the  death  of 
Washington,  employed  the  well-known  phrase,  "First  in 
war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  country 
men."  He  died  in  Georgia,  in  the  year  1818,  having  made 
a  journey  thither  for  the  benefit  of  his  health. 

General  Henry  Lee  was  married  twice ;  first,  as  we  have 
said,  to  his  cousin  Matilda,  through  whom  he  came  into  pos 
session  of  the  old  family  estate  of  Stratford ;  and  a  second 
time,  June  18,  1793,  to  Miss  Anne  Hill  Carter,  a  daughter 
of  Charles  Carter,  Esq.,  of  "  Shirley,"  on  James  Eiver. 

The  children  of  this  second  marriage  were  three  sons  and 
two  daughters — Charles  Carter,  Robert  Edward,  Smith, 
Ann,  and  Mildred. 

*  See  his  observations  upon  the  source  of  his  successes  over  Tarleton,  full  of 
the  generous  spirit  of  a  great  soldier.  He  attributes  them  hi  no  degree  to  his 
own  military  ability,  but  to  the  superior  character  of  his  large,  thorough-bred 
horses,  which  rode  over  Tarleton's  inferior  stock.  He  does  not  state  that  the 
famous  "  Legion  "  numbered  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  that  Tarleton 
commanded  a  much  larger  force  of  the  best  cavalry  of  the  British  army. 

f  A  new  edition  of  this  work,  preceded  by  a  life  of  the  author,  was  pub 
lished  by  General  Robert  E.  Lee  in  1869. 


STRATFORD.  13 

IV. 

STEATFOED. 

ROBERT  EDWAKD  LEE  was  born  at  Stratford,  in  West 
moreland  County,  Yirginia,  on  the  19th  of  January,  1807.* 

Before  passing  to  Lee's  public  career,  and  the  narrative 
of  the  stormy  scenes  of  his  after-life,  let  us  pause  a  moment 
and  bestow  a  glance  upon  this  ancient  mansion,  which  is 
still  standing — a  silent  and  melancholy  relic  of  the  past — in 
the  remote  "  Northern  ]&Teck."  As  the  birthplace  of  a  great 
man,  it  would  demand  attention ;  but  it  has  other  claims 
still,  as  a  venerable  memorial  of  the  past  and  its  eminent 
personages,  one  of  the  few  remaining  monuments  of  a  state 
of  society  that  has  disappeared  or  is  disappearing. 

The  original  Stratford  House  is  supposed,  as  we  have 
said,  to  have  been  built  by  Richard  Lee,  the  first  of  the 
family  in  the  New  "World.  Whoever  may  have  been  its 
founder,  it  was  destroyed  in  the  time  of  Thomas  Lee,  an 
eminent  representative  of  the  name,  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century.  Thomas  Lee  was  a  member  of  the  King's  Council, 
a  gentleman  of  great  popularity ;  and,  when  it  was  known 
that  his  house  had  been  burned,  contributions  were  every 
where  made  to  rebuild  it.  The  Governor,  the  merchants  of 
the  colony,  and  even  Queen  Anne  in  person,  united  in  this 
subscription ;  the  house  speedily  rose  again,  at  a  cost  of 
about  eighty  thousand  dollars ;  and  this  is  the  edifice  still 
standing  in  Westmoreland.  The  sum  expended  in  its  con 
struction  must  not  be  estimated  in  the  light  of  to-day.  At 

*  The  date  of  General  Lee's  birth  has  been  often  given  incorrectly.  The 
authority  for  that  here  adopted  is  the  entry  in  the  family  Bible,  in  the  hand 
writing  of  his  mother. 


U  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

that  time  the  greater  part  of  the  heavy  work  in  house-build 
ing  was  performed  by  servants  of  the  manor ;  it  is  fair,  in 
deed,  to  say  that  the  larger  part  of  the  work  thus  cost  noth 
ing  in  money ;  and  thus  the  eighty  thousand  dollars  repre 
sented  only  the  English  brick,  the  carvings,  furniture,  and 
decorations. 

The  construction  of  such  an  edifice  had  at  that  day  a 
distinct  object.  These  great  old  manor-houses,  lost  in  the 
depths  of  the  country,  were  intended  to  become  the  head 
quarters  of  the  family  in  all  time.  In  their  large  apart 
ments  the  eldest  son  was  to  uphold  the  name.  Generation 
after  generation  was  to  pass,  and  some  one  of  the  old  name 
still  live  there  ;  and  though  all  this  has  passed  away  now, 
and  may  appear  a  worn-out  superstition,  and,  though  some 
persons  may  stigmatize  it  as  contributing  to  the  sentiment 
of  "  aristocracy,"  the  strongest  opponents  of  that  old  system 
may  pardon  in  us  the  expression  of  some  regret  that  this 
love  of  the  hearthstone  and  old  family  memories  should  have 
disappeared.  The  great  man  whose  character  is  sought  to 
be  delineated  in  this  volume  never  lost  to  the  last  this  home 
and  family  sentiment.  He  knew  the  kinships  of  every  one, 
and  loved  the  old  country-houses  of  the  old  Yirginia  fami 
lies — plain  and  honest  people,  attached,  like  himself,  to  the 
Yirginia  soil.  "We  pass  to  a  brief  description  of  the  old 
house  in  which  Lee  was  born. 

Stratford,  the  old  home  of  the  Lees,  but  to-day  the  prop 
erty  of  others,  stands  on  a  picturesque  bluff  on  the  southern 
bank  of  the  Potomac,  and  is  a  house  of  very  considerable 
size.  It  is  built  in  the  form  of  the  letter  IT.  The  walls  are 
several  feet  in  thickness ;  in  the  centre  is  a  saloon  thirty  feet 
in  size ;  and  surmounting  each  wing  is  a  pavilion  with 


STRATFORD.  15 

balustrades,  above  which  rise  clusters  of  chimneys.  The 
front  door  is  reached  by  a  broad  flight  of  steps,  and  the 
grounds  are  handsome,  and  variegated  by  the  bright  foliage 
of  oaks,  cedars,  and  maple-trees.  Here  and  there  in  the  ex 
tensive  lawn  rises  a  slender  and  ghostly  old  Lombardy  pop 
lar — a  tree  once  a  great  favorite  in  Yirginia,  but  now  seen 
only  here  and  there,  the  relic  of  a  past  generation. 

"Within,  the  Stratford  House  is  as  antique  as  without, 
and,  with  its  halls,  corridors,  wainscoting,  and  ancient 
mouldings,  takes  the  visitor  back  to  the  era  of  powder  and 
silk  stockings.  Such  was  the  mansion  to  which  General 
Harry  Lee  came  to  live  after  the  Revolution,  and  the  sight 
of  the  old  home  must  have  been  dear  to  the  soldier's  heart. 
Here  had  flourished  three  generations  of  Lees,  dispensing  a 
profuse  and  open-handed  hospitality.  In  each  generation 
some  one  of  the  family  had  distinguished  himself,  and  at 
tracted  the  "  best  company "  to  Stratford ;  the  old  walls 
had  rung  with  merriment ;  the  great  door  was  wide  open  ; 
everybody  was  welcome ;  and  one  could  see  there  a  good 
illustration  of  a  long-passed  manner  of  living,  which  had  at 
least  the  merit  of  being  hearty,  open-handed,  and  pictu 
resque.  General  Harry  Lee,  the  careless  soldier,  partook 
of  the  family  tendency  to  hospitality ;  he  kept  open  house, 
entertained  all  comers,  and  hence,  doubtless,  sprung  the 
pecuniary  embarrassments  embittering  an  old  age  which  his 
eminent  public  services  should  have  rendered  serene  and 
happy. 

Our  notice  of  Stratford  may  appear  unduly  long  to 
some  readers,  but  it  is  not  without  a  distinct  reference  to 
the  subject  of  this  volume.  In  this  quiet  old  mansion — and 
in  the  very  apartment  where  Richard  Henry  and  Francis 


16  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

Lightfoot  Lee  first  saw  the  light — Robert  E.  Lee  was  born. 
The  eyes  of  the  child  fell  first  upon  the  old  apartments,  the 
great  grounds,  the  homely  scenes  around  the  old  country- 
house — upon  the  tall  Lombardy  poplars  and  the  oaks, 
through  which  passed  the  wind  bearing  to  his  ears  the 
murmur  of  the  Potomac. 

He  left  the  old  home  of  his  family  before  it  could  have 
had  any  very  great  effect  upon  him,  it  would  seem  ;  but  it 
is  impossible  to  estimate  these  first  influences,  to  decide  the 
depth  of  the  impression  which  the  child's  heart  is  capable 
of  receiving.  The  bright  eyes  of  young  Robert  Lee  must 
have  seen  much  around  him  to  interest  him  and  shape  his 
first  views.  Critics  charged  him  with  family  pride  some 
times  ;  if  he  possessed  that  virtue  or  failing,  the  fact  was 
not  strange.  Stratford  opened  before  his  childish  eyes  a 
memorial  of  the  old  splendor  of  the  Lees.  He  saw  around 
him  old  portraits,  old  plate,  and  old  furniture,  telling  plainly 
of  the  ancient  origin  and  high  position  of  his  family.  Old 
parchments  contained  histories  of  the  deeds  of  his  race ;  old 
genealogical  trees  traced  their  line  far  back  into  the  past ; 
old  servants,  grown  gray  in  the  house,  waited  upon  the 
child ;  and,  in  a  corner  of  one  of  the  great  apartments,  an 
old  soldier,  gray,  too,  and  shattered  in  health,  once  the 
friend  of  Washington  and  Greene,  was  writing  the  history 
of  the  battles  in  which  he  had  drawn  his  sword  for  his 
native  land. 

Amid  these  scenes  and  surroundings  passed  the  first 
years  of  Robert  E.  Lee.  They  must  have  made  their  im 
pression  upon  his  character  at  a  period  when  the  mind  takes 
every  new  influence,  and  grows  in  accordance  with  it  \  and, 
to  the  last,  the  man  remained  simple,  hearty,  proud,  cour- 


LEE'S  EARLY  MANHOOD,  ETC.  17 

teoiis — the  country  Virginian  in  all  the  textme  of  his  char 
acter.  He  always  rejoiced  to  visit  the  country ;  loved  horses ; 
was  an  excellent  rider ;  was  fond  of  plain  country  talk,  jests, 
humorous  anecdote,  and  chit-chat — was  the  plain  country 
gentleman,  in  a  word,  preferring  grass  and  trees  and  streams 
to  all  the  cities  and  crowds  in  the  world.  In  the  last  year 
of  his  life  he  said  to  a  lady  :  "  My  visits  to  Florida  and  the 
"White  Sulphur  have  not  benefited  me  much  ;  but  it  did  me 
good  to  go  to  the  White  House,  and  see  the  mules  walking 
round,  and  the  corn  growing" 

"We  notice  a  last  result  of  the  child's  residence  now,  or 
visits  afterward  to  the  country,  and  the  sports  in  which  he 
indulged — the  superb  physical  health  and  strength  which 
remained  unshaken  afterward  by  all  the  hardships  of  war. 
Lee,  to  the  last,  was  a  marvel  of  sound  physical  develop 
ment  ;  his  frame  was  as  solid  as  oak,  and  stood  the  strain  of 
exhausting  marches,  loss  of  sleep,  hunger,  thirst,  heat,  and 
cold,  without  failing  him. 

When  he  died,  it  was  care  which  crushed  his  heart ;  his  [/ 
health  was  perfect. 


Y. 

LEE'S    EARLY    MANHOOD    AND    CAREER    IN    THE 
UNITED    STATES    ARMY. 

OF  Lee's  childhood  we  have  no  memorials,  except  the 
words  of  his  father,  long  afterward. 

"Robert  was  always  good"  wrote  General  Henry  Lee.* 

*  To  C.  C.  Lee,  February  9,  1817. 


18  LEE'S  EARLY  LITE. 

That  is  all ;  but  the  words  indicate  much — that  the  good 
man  was  "  always  good."  It  will  be  seen  that,  when  he 
went  to  West  Point,  he  never  received  a  demerit.  The  good 
boy  was  the  good  young  officer,  and  became,  in  due  time, 
the  good  commander-in-chief. 

In  the  year  1811  General  Henry  Lee  left  Stratford,  and 
removed  with  his  family  to  Alexandria,  actuated,  it  seems, 
by  the  desire  of  aifording  his  children  facilities  for  gaining 
their  education.  After  his  death,  in  1818,  Mrs.  Lee  contin 
ued  to  reside  in  Alexandria ;  was  a  communicant  of  Christ 
Church  ;  and  her  children  were  taught  the  Episcopal  cate 
chism  by  young  William  Meade,  eventually  Bishop  of  Vir 
ginia.  "We  shall  see  how  Bishop  Meade,  long  afterward, 
recalled  those  early  days,  when  he  and  his  pupil,  young 
Robert  Lee,  were  equally  unknown — how,  when  about  to 
die,  just  as  the  war  began  in  earnest,  he  sent  for  the  boy  he 
had  once  instructed,  now  the  gray-haired  soldier,  and,  when 
he  came  to  the  bedside,  exclaimed :  "  God  bless  you,  Robert ! 
I  can't  call  you  'general' — I  have  heard  you  your  cate 
chism  too  often ! " 

Alexandria  continued  to  be  the  residence  of  the  family  \ 
until  the  young  man  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  make  choice  of  a  profession  ;  and,  fol 
lowing  the  bent  of  his  temperament,  he  chose  the  army. 
Application  was  made  for  his  appointment  from  Virginia 
as  a  cadet  at  West  Point.  He  obtained  the  appointment, 
and,  in  1825,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  entered  the  Military 
Academy.  His  progress  in  his  studies  was  steady,  and 
it  is  said  that,  during  his  stay  at  West  Point,  he  was 
never  reprimanded,  nor  marked  with  a  "demerit."  He 
graduated,  in  July,  1829,  second  in  his  class,  and  was 


ffi  „  E  o   Q_  E  E  p 

AS      A     YOUNG     0  F  F  I  C  E  R 


W  ew  York ,  I) .  Apple  l.o n   &-_  C  o . 


. 

h  the  rank  ;iiant,  in  the  co  ; 

.gineers. 

i  ?  described,  by  those  who  saw  him  at  this  time,  us  a 
g  man  of  great  personal  beauty  ;  and  this  is  probably 
not  an  exaggeration,  as  he  remained  to  the  last  distinguished 
for  the  elegance  and  dignity  of  Ids  person.    He  had  not  yot 
«>  the  cares  of  command  afterward  banished  —  his  gay- 
'ibandon  —  arid  was  noted,  it  is  said,  for  the  sweet- 
of  his  sirile  and  the  cordiality  of  his  manners.     The 
"lip  gave  tbo  writer  tbe*e  details  'added,  uHe  W.IA  a 
•eutleman."     Three  years  alter  ^racuaving  at  West   • 
•it—  in  the  year  1832—  he  married  Mary  Oustis,  daogh- 
.  George  or-  Parke  Oustis,  of  Arlington, 

ed  sou  of  General  Was'hiiigton  ;  and  by  this  mar 
ame  into  possession  of  the  estate  of  Arlington  and 

House  —  points  afterward  well  known  in  the  war.,^. 
lira  of  Lee  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  groat  conflict 
?tfl~'G5  is  of  moderate  interest  only,  and  we  shall  not 

fc  length  upon  it.     He  was  employed  on  the  coasts 

ces,  in  ISTew  York  and  Virginia;  and,  in  1835,  in  run- 

the  boundary  line  between  the  States  of  Ohio  and 

in.     In  September,  183G,  he  was  promoted  to  the 

!:  of  first  lieutenant  ;  in  July,  1838,  to  a  captaincy;  in 

c  he  became  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Visitors  to  the 

Lcaclerny;  in  1845  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board 

of  Engineers  ;  and  in  1846,  when  the  Mexican  War  broke  out, 

i  to  duty  as  chief  engineer  of  toe  Central  Army 

.  .X),  in  which  capacity  he  served  to  the  end  of  the  war^X 

late  of  the  Mexican  War,  Captain  Lee  > 
:  public  id  impreascv 

'ties,  in-.  »  ^ith  a 


20  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

favorable  opinion  of  his  ability  as  a  topographical  engi 
neer.  For  this  department  of  military  science  he  exhibited 
endowments  of  the  first  class — what  other  faculties  of  the 
soldier  he  possessed,  it  remained  for  events  to  show.  This 
opportunity  was  now  given  him  in  the  Mexican  "War ;  and 
the  efficient  character  of  his  services  may  be  seen  in  Scott's 
Autobiography,  where  "  Captain  Lee,  of  the  Engineers,"  is 
mentioned  in  every  report,  and  everywhere  with  commenda 
tion.  From  the  beginning  of  operations,  the  young  officer 
seems  to  have  been  summoned  to  the  councils  of  war,  and 
General  Scott  particularly  mentions  that  held  at  Yera  Cruz 
— so  serious  an  affair,  that  "  a  death-bed  discussion  could 
hardly  have  been  more  solemn."  The  passages  in  which 
the  lieutenant-general  mentions  Lee  are  too  numerous,  and 
not  of  sufficient  interest  to  quote,  but  two  entries  will 
exhibit  the  general  tenor  of  this  "honorable  mention." 
After  Cerro  Gordo,  Scott  writes,  in  his  official  report  of  tlie) 
battle :  "  I  am  compelled  to  make  special  mention  of  Cap 
tain  K.  E.  Lee,  engineer.  This  officer  greatly  distinguished 
himself  at  the  siege  of  Yera  Cruz ;  was  again  indefatigable 
during  these  operations,  in  reconnoissance  as  daring,  as  labo 
rious,  and  of  the  utmost  value."  After  Chapultepec,  he 
wrote :  "  Captain  Lee,  so  constantly  distinguished,  also  bore 
important  orders  for  me  (September  13th),  until  he  fainted 
from  a  wound,  and  the  loss  of  two  nights'  sleep  at  the  bat-/ 
teries." 

We  may  add  here  the  statement  of  the  Hon.  Keverdy 
Johnson,  that  he  "  had  heard  General  Scott  more  than  once 
say  that  his  success  in  Mexico  was  largely  due  to  the  skill, 
valor,  and  undaunted  energy  of  Robert  E.  Lee." 

For  these  services  Lee  received  steady  promotion.    Foi 


LEE'S  EARLY  MANHOOD,  ETC.  21 

meritorious  conduct  at  Cerro  Gordo,  he  was  made  brevet 
major ;  for  the  same  at  Contreras  and  Cherubusco,  brevet 
lieutenant-colonel ;  and,  after  Chapultepec,  he  received  the 
additional  brevet  of  colonel — distinctions  fairly  earned  by 
energy  and  courage. 

"When  the  war  ended.  Lee  returned  to  his  former  duties 
in  the  Engineer  Corps  of  the  U.  S.  A.,  and  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  works,  then  in  process  of  construction,  at  Tort 
Carroll,  near  Baltimore.  His  assignment  to  the  duty  of  thus 
superintending  the  military  defences  of  Hampton  Eoads, 
New  York  Bay,  and  the  approaches  to  Baltimore,  in  succes 
sion,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  his  abilities  as  engineer 
were  highly  esteemed.  Of  his  possession  of  such  ability  there 
can  be  no  doubt.  The  young  officer  was  not  only  thorough 
ly  trained  in  this  high  department  of  military  science,  but 
had  for  his  duties  unmistakable  natural  endowments.  This 
fact  was  clearly  indicated  on  many  occasions  in  the  Con 
federate  struggle — his  eye  for  positions  never  failed  him. 
It  is  certain  that,  had  Lee  never  commanded  troops  in  the 
field,  he  would  have  left  behind  him  the  reputation  of  an 
excellent  engineer. 

In  1855  he  was  called  for  the  first  time  to  command  > 
men,  for  his  duties  hitherto  had  been  those  of  military  en 
gineer,  astronomer,  or  staff-officer.      The  act  of  Congress 
directing  that  two  new  cavalry  regiments  should  be  raised 
excited  an  ardent  desire  in  the  officers  of  the  army  to  receive 
appointments  in  them,  and  Lee  was  transferred  from  his  i. 
place  of  engineer  to  the  post  of  lieutenant-colonel  in  th§/ 
Spcond  Cavalry,  one  of  the  regiments  in  question.     The  ex 
traordinary  number  of  names  of  officers  in  this  regiment 
who  afterward  became  famous  is  worthy  of  notice.      The 


22  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

colonel  was  Albert  Sydney  Johnston;  the  lieutenant-coio- 
nel,  E.  E.  Lee ;  the  senior  major,  William  J.  Hardee ;  the 
junior  major,  George  H.  Thomas ;  the  senior  captain,  Earl 
Van  Dorn;  the  next  ranking  captain,  Kirby  Smith;  the 
lieutenants,  Hood,  Fields,  Cosby,  Major,  Fitzhugh  Lee, 
Johnson,  Palmer,  and  Stoneman,  all  of  whom  became  gen 
eral  officers  afterward  on  the  Southern  side,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  Thomas,  and  the  three  last  named,  who  became 
prominent  generals  in  the  Federal  army.  It  is  rare  that 
such  a  constellation  of  famous  names  is  found  in  the  list  of 
officers  of  a  single  regiment.  The  explanation  is,  neverthe 
less  simple.  Positions  in  the  new  regiments  were  eagerly 
coveted  by  the  best  soldiers  of  the  army,  and,  in  appointing 
the  officers,  those  of  conspicuous  ability  only  were  selected. 
The  Second  Eegiment  of  cavalry  thus  became  the  corps 
cF elite  of  the  United  States  Army ;  and,  after  Albert  Syd 
ney  Johnston,  Kobert  E.  Lee  was  the  ranking  officer. 

Lee  proceeded  with  his  regiment  to  Texas,  remaining^ 
there  for  several  years  on  frontier  duty,  and  does  not  reap-7 
pear  again  until  1859. 

Such  was  the  early  career  in  the  army  of  the  soldier 
soon  to  become  famous  on  a  greater  theatre — that  of  a 
thoroughly-trained,  hard-working,  and  conscientious  officer. 
"With  the  single  exception  of  his  brief  record  in  the  Mexican 
War,  his  life  had  been  passed  in  official  duties,  unconnected 
with  active  military  operations.  He  was  undoubtedly  what 
is  called  a  "  rising  man,"  but  he  had  had  no  opportunity  to 
display  the  greatest  faculties  of  the  soldier.  The  time  was 
coming  now  when  he  was  to  be  tested,  and  the  measure  of 
his  faculties  taken  in  one  of  the  greatest  wars  which  darken 
the  pages  of  history. 


LEE'S  EARLY  MANHOOD,   ETC.  23 

A  single  incident  of  public  importance  marks  the  life  of 
Lee  between  1855  and  1861.  This  was  what  is  known  to  ) 
the  world  as  the  "  John  Brown  raid  " — an  incident  of  the 
year  1859,  and  preluding  the  approaching  storm.  This  oc 
currence  is  too  well  known  to  require  a  minute  account  in 
these  pages,  and  we  shall  accordingly  pass  over  it  briefly, 
indicating  simply  the  part  borne  in  the  affair  by  Lee.  He 
was  in  Washington  at  the  time — the  fall  of  1859 — on  a  visit 
to  his  family,  then  residing  at  Arlington,  near  the  city,  when 
intelligence  came  that  a  party  of  desperadoes  had  attacked 
and  captured  Harper's  Ferry,  with  the  avowed  intent  of 
arming  and  inciting  to  insurrection  the  slaves  of  the  neigh 
borhood  and  entire  State.  Lee  was  immediately,  there 
upon,  directed  by  President  Buchanan  to  proceed  to  the 
point  of  danger  and  arrest  the  rioters.  He  did  so  promptly ; 
found  upon  his  arrival  that  Brown  and  his  confederates  had 
shut  themselves  up  in  an  engine-house  of  the  town,  with  a 
number  of  their  prisoners.  Brown  was  summoned  to  sur 
render,  to  be  delivered  over  to  the  authorities  for  civil  trial 
— he  refused;  and  Lee  then  proceeded  to  assault,  with  a 
force  of  marines,  the  stronghold  to  which  Brown  had  re 
treated.  The  doors  were  driven  in,  Brown  firing  upon  the 
assailants  and  killing  or  wounding  two;  but  he  and  his 
men  were  cut  down  and  captured ;  they  were  turned  over 
to  the  Virginia  authorities,  and  Lee,  having  performed  the 
duty  assigned  him  returned  to  Washington,  and  soon  after 
ward  to  Texas. 

He  remained  there,  commanding  the  department,  until 
the  early  spring  of  1861.  He  was  then  recalled  to  Wash 
ington  at  the  moment  when  the  conflict  between  the  North 
and  the  South  was  about  to  commence. 


24  LEE'S  EARLY  LITE. 

VI. 

LEE    AND    SCOTT. 

LEE  found  the  country  burning  as  with  fever,  and  the  air 
hot  with  contending  passions.  The  animosity,  long  smoul 
dering  between  the  two  sections,  was  about  to  burst  into  the 
flame  of  civil  war ;  all  men  were  taking  sides ;  the  war  of 
discussion  on  the  floor  of  Congress  was  about  to  yield  to  the 
clash  of  bayonets  and  the  roar  of  cannon  on  the  battle-field. 

Any  enumeration  of  the  causes  which  led  to  this  un 
happy  state  of  affairs  would  be  worse  than  useless  in  a 
volume  like  the  present.  Even  less  desirable  would  be  a 
discussion  of  the  respective  blame  to  be  attached  to  each  of 
the  great  opponents  in  inaugurating  the  bitter  and  long- 
continued  struggle.  Such  a  discussion  would  lead  to  noth 
ing,  and  would  probably  leave  every  reader  of  the  same 
opinion  as  before.  It  would  also  be  the  repetition  of  a 
worn-out  and  wearisome  story.  These  events  are  known  of 
all  men  ;  for  the  political  history  of  the  United  States,  from 
1820,  when  the  slavery  agitation  began,  on  the  question  of 
the  Missouri  restriction,  to  1861,  when  it  ended  in  civil  con 
vulsion,  has  been  discussed,  rediscussed,  and  discussed  again, 
in  every  journal,  great  and  small,  in  the  whole  country. 
The  person  who  is  not  familiar,  therefore,  with  the  main 
points  at  issue,  must  be  ignorant  beyond  the  power  of  anj 
writer  to  enlighten  him.  "We  need  only  say  that  the  elec 
tion  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  nominee  of  the  Republican 
party,  had  determined  the  Gulf  States  to  leave  the  Union. 
South  Carolina  accordingly  seceded,  on  the  20th  of  Decem 
ber,  1860 ;  and  by  the  1st  of  February,  1 861,  she  had  been  fol- 


LEE  AND  SCOTT.  25 

lowed  by  Mississippi,  Florida,  Alabama,  Georgia,  Louisiana, 
and  Texas.  The  struggle  thus  approached.  Military  move 
ments  began  at  many  points,  like  those  distant  flashes  of 
lightning  and  vague  mutterings  which  herald  the  tempest. 
Early  in  February  Jefferson  Davis,  of  Mississippi,  was 
elected  President  of  the  Confederate  States,  at  Montgomery. 
On  the  13th  of  April  Fort  Sumter  surrendered  to  General 
Beauregard,  and  on  the  next  day,  April  14,  1861,  President 
Lincoln  issued  his  proclamation  declaring  the  Gulf  States 
in  rebellion,  and  calling  upon  the  States  which  had  not 
seceded  for  seventy-five  thousand  men  to  enforce  the  Federal 
authority. 

Up  to  this  time  the  older  State  of  Virginia  had  per 
sistently  resisted  secession.  Her  refusal  to  array  herself 
against  the  General  Government  had  been  based  upon  an 
unconquerable  repugnance,  it  seemed,  for  the  dissolution  of 
that  Union  which  she  had  so  long  loved ;  from  real  attach 
ment  to  the  flag  which  she  had  done  so  much  to  make  hon 
orable,  and  from  a  natural  indisposition  to  rush  headlong  into 
a  conflict  whose  whole  fury  would  burst  upon  and  desolate 
her  own  soil.  The  proclamation  of  President  Lincoln,  how 
ever,  decided  her  course.  The  convention  had  obdurately 
refused,  week  after  week,  to  pass  the  ordinance  of  secession. 
Now  the  naked  question  was,  whether  Virginia  should  fight 
with  or  against  her  sisters  of  the  Gulf  States.  She  was 
directed  to  furnish  her  quota  of  the  seventy-five  thousand 
troops  called  for  by  President  Lincoln,  and  must  decide  at 
once.  On  the  17th  of  April,  1861,  accordingly,  an  ordi 
nance  of  secession  passed  the  Virginia  Convention,  and  tha* 
Commonwealth  cast  her  fortunes  for  weal  or  woe  with  the 
Southern  Confederacv. 


26  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

Such  is  a  brief  and  rapid  summary  of  the  important 
public  events  which  had  preceded,  or  immediately  followed, 
Lee's  return  to  "Washington  in  March,  1861.  A  grave,  and 
to  him  a  very  solemn,  question  demanded  instant  decision. 
Which  side  should  he  espouse — the  side  of  the  United  States"! 
or  that  of  the  South  ?  To  choose  either  caused  him  acute 
pain.  The  attachment  of  the  soldier  to  his  flag  is  greater 
than  the  civilian  can  realize,  and  Lee  had  before  him  the/ 
brightest  military  prospects.  The  brief  record  which  we 
have  presented  of  hia  military  career  in  Mexico  conveys  a 
very  inadequate  idea  of  the  position  which  he  had  secured 
in  the  army.  He  was  regarded  by  the  authorities  at  "Wash^ 
ington,  and  by  the  country  at  large,  as  the  ablest  and  most 
promising  of  all  the  rising  class  of  army  officers.  Upon 
General  "Winfield  Scott,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Federal 
Army,  he  had  made  an  impression  which  is  the  most  striking 
proof  of  his  great  merit.  General  Scott  was  enthusiastic  in 
his  expressions  of  admiration  for  the  young  Virginian ;  and 
with  the  death  of  that  general,  which  his  great  age  rendered 
a  probable  event  at  any  moment,  Lee  was  sure  to  become ji) 
candidate  for  the  highest  promotion  in  the  service.  To  this 
his  great  ability  gave  him  a  title  at  the  earliest  possible  mo 
ment;  and  other  considerations  operated  to  advance  his 
fortunes.  He  was  conceded  by  all  to  be  a  person  of  the 
highest  moral  character  ;  was  the  descendant  of  an  influen 
tial  and  distinguished  family,  which  had  rendered  important 
services  to  the  country  in  the  [Revolution ;  his  father  had 
been  the  friend  of  "Washington,  and  had  achieved  the  first 
glories  of  arms,  and  the  ample  estates  derived  from  his  wife 
gave  him  that  worldly  prestige  which  has  a  direct  influence 
upon  the  fortunes  of  an  individual.  Colonel  Lee  could  thus 


LEE  AND  SCOTT.  27 

look  forward,  without  the  imputation  of  presumption,  to 
positions  of  the  highest  responsibility  and  honor  under  the 
Government.  "With  the  death  of  Scott,  and  other  aged 
officers  of  the  army,  the  place  of  commander-in-chief  would 
fall  to  the  most  deserving  of  the  younger  generation ;  and 
of  this  generation  there  was  no  one  so  able  and  prominent 
as  Lee.* 

The  personal  relations  of  Lee  with  General  Scott  consti-7 
tuted  another  powerful  temptation  to  decide  him  against 
going  over  to  the  Southern  side.  "We  have  referred  to  the 
great  admiration  which  the  old  soldier  felt  for  the  young 
officer.  He  is  said  to  have  exclaimed  on  one  occasion :  "  It 
would  be  better  for  every  officer  in  the  army,  including 
myself,  to  die  than  Eobert  Lee."  There  seems  no  doubt  of 
the  fact  that  Scott  looked  to  Lee  as  his  ultimate  successor  in 
the  supreme  command,  for  which  his  character  and  military 
ability  peculiarly  fitted  him.  "Warm  personal  regard  gave 
additional  strength  to  his  feelings  in  Lee's  favor ;  and  the 
consciousness  of  this  regard  on  the  part  of  his  superior 
made  it  still  more  difficult  for  Lee  to  come  to  a  decision.  J 

YIL 

LEE    KESIGNS. 

IT  is  known  that  General  Scott  used  every  argument  to 
persuade  Lee  not  to  resign.  To  retain  him  in  the  service, 
he  had  been  appointed,  on  his  arrival  at  "Washington,  a  full 
colonel,  and  in  1860  his  name  had  been  sent  in,  with 


*  "  General  Scott  stated  his  purpose  to  recommend  Lee  as  his  successor  iu 
the  chief  command  of  the  army." — Hon.  Reverdy  Johnson. 
3 


28  -LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

others,  by  Scott,  as  a  proper  person  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  death  of  Brigadier-General  Jessup.  To  these  tempt 
ing  intimations  that  rapid  promotion  would  attend  his 
adherence  to  the  United  States  flag,  Scott  added  personal 
appeals,  which,  coming  from  him,  must  have  been  almost 
irresistible. 

"  For  God's  sake,  don't  resign,  Lee ! "  the  lieutenant- 
general  is  said  to  have  exclaimed.  And,  in  the  protracted 
interviews  which  took  place  between  the  two  officers,  every 
possible  argument  was  urged  by  the  elder  to  decide  Lee  to 
remain  firm. 

The  attempt  was  in  vain.  Lee's  attachment  to  the  flag  ) 
he  had  so  long  fought  under,  and  his  personal  affection  for 
General  Scott,  were  great,  but  his  attachment  to  his  native 
State  was  still  more  powerful.  By  birth  a  Virginian,  he 
declared  that  he  owed  his  first  duty  to  her  and  his  own  peo 
ple.  If  she  summoned  him,  he  must  obey  the  summons. 
As  long  as  she  remained  in  the  Union  he  might  remain  in 
the  United  States  Army.  When  she  seceded  from  the  Union, 
and  took  part  with  the  Gulf  States,  he  must  follow  her  for 
tunes,  and  do  his  part  in  defending  her.  The  struggle  had 
been  bitter,  but  brief.  "  My  husband  has  wept  tears  of 
blood,"  Mrs.  Lee  wrote  to  a  friend,  "  over  this  terrible  war ; 
but  he  must,  as  a  man  and  a  Virginian,  share  the  destiny 
of  his  State,  which  has  solemnly  pronounced  for  indepen-j 
dence." 

The  secession  of  Virginia,  by  a  vote  of  the  convention 
assembled  at  [Richmond,  decided  Lee  in  his  course.  He 
no  longer  hesitated.  To  General  Scott's  urgent  appeals  not 
to  send  in  his  resignation,  he  replied :  "  I  am  compelled  to. 
I  cannot  consult  my  own  feelings  in  this  matter."  He 


LEE  RESIGNS.  29 

accordingly  wrote  to  General  Scott  from  Arlington,  on  the 
20th  of  April,  enclosing  his  resignation.  The  letter  was  in 
the  following  words : 

GENERAL  :  Since  my  interview  with  you,  on  the  18th  instant,  I 
have  felt  that  I  ought  not  longer  to  retain  my  commission  in  the  army. 
I  therefore  tender  my  resignation,  which  I  request  you  will  recommend 
for  acceptance.  It  would  have  been  presented  at  once  but  for  the 
struggle  it  has  cost  me  to  separate  myself  from  a  service  to  which  I 
have  devoted  all  the  best  years  of  my  life,  and  all  the  ability  I  pos- 


During  the  whole  of  that  time — more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century — 
I  have  experienced  nothing  but  kindness  from  my  superiors,  and  the 
most  cordial  friendship  from  my  comrades.  To  no  one,  general,  have 
I  been  as  much  indebted  as  to  yourself  for  uniform  kindness  and  con 
sideration,  and  it  has  always  been  my  ardent  desire  to  merit  your 
approbation.  I  shall  carry  to  the  grave  the  most  grateful  recollections 
of  your  kind  consideration,  and  your  name  and  fame  will  always  be 
dear  to  me. 

Save  in  defence  of  my  native  State,  I  never  desire  again  to  draw  my 
sword.  Be  pleased  to  accept  my  most  earnest  wishes  for  the  continu 
ance  of  your  happiness  and  prosperity,  and  believe  me,  most  truly 
yours, 

R.  E.  LEE. 
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  WINFIELD  SOOTT, 

Commanding  United  States  Army. 

In  this  letter,  full  of  dignity  and  grave  courtesy,  Lee 
vainly  attempts  to  hide  the  acute  pain  he  felt  at  parting 
from  his  friend  and  abandoning  the  old  service.  Another 
letter,  written  on  the  same  day,  expresses  the  same  senti 
ment  of  painful  regret : 

ARLINGTON,  VIRGINIA,  April  20, 1861. 

MY  DEAR  SISTER  :  I  am  grieved  at  my  inability  to  see  you  ...  1 
have  been  waiting  "for  a  more  convenient  season,"  which  has  brought 


30  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

to  many  before  me  deep  and  lasting  regret.  Now  we  are  in  a  state  of 
war  which  will  yield  to  nothing.  The  whole  South  is  in  a  state  of 
revolution,  into  which  Virginia,  after  a  long  struggle,  has  been  drawn, 
and,  though  I  recognize  no  necessity  for  this  state  of  things,  and  would 
have  forborne  and  pleaded  to  the  end  for  redress  of  grievances,  real  or 
supposed,  yet  in  my  own  person  I  had  to  meet  the  question,  whether  1 
should  take  part  against  my  native  State.  With  all  my  devotion  to  the 
Union,  and  the  feeling  of  loyalty  and  duty  of  an  American  citizen,  I 
have  not  been  able  to  make  up  my  mind  to  raise  my  hand  against  my 
relatives,  my  children,  my  home.  I  have,  therefore,  resigned  my  com 
mission  in  the  army,  and,  save  in  defence  of  my  native  State,  with  the 
sincere  hope  that  my  poor  services  may  never  be  needed,  I  hope  I  may 
never  be  called  on  to  draw  my  sword. 

I  know  you  will  blame  me,  but  you  must  think  as  kindly  of  me  as 
you  can,  and  believe 'that  I  have  endeavored  to  do  what  I  thought 
right.  To  show  you  the  feeling  and  struggle  it  has  cost  me,  I  send  a 
copy  of  my  letter  to  General  Scott,  which  accompanied  my  letter  of 
resignation.  I  have  no  time  for  more.  .  .  .  May  God  guard  and  pro 
tect  you  and  yours,  and  shower  upon  you  every  blessing,  is  the  prayer 
of  your  devoted  brother, 

R.  E.  LEE. 

The  expression  used  in  this  letter — "  though  I  recognize) 
no  necessity  for  this  state  of  things  "—conveys  very  clearly 
the  political  sentiments  of  the  writer.  He  did  not  regard 
the  election  of  a  Eepublican  President,  even  by  a  strictly 
sectional  vote,  as  sufficient  ground  for  a  dissolution  of  t^jl 
Union.  It  may  be  added  here,  that  such,  we  believe,  was 
the  opinion  of  a  large  number  of  Southern  officers  at  that 
time.  Accustomed  to  look  to  the  flag  as  that  which  they 
were  called  upon  to  defend  against  all  comers,  they  were 
loath  to  admit  the  force  of  the  reasoning  which  justified  se 
cession,  and  called  upon  them  to  abandon  it.  Their  final 
action  seems  to  have  been  taken  from  the  same  considers 


LEE  RESIGNS.  31 

tions  which  controlled  the  course  of  Lee.  Their  States  called 
them,  and  they  obeyed. 

In  resigning  his  commission  and  going  over  to  the  South, 
Lee  sacrificed  his  private  fortunes,  in  addition  to  all  his 
hopes  of  future  promotion  in  the  United  States  Army.  His 
beautiful  home,  Arlington,  situated  upon  the  heights  oppo 
site  "Washington,  must  be  abandoned  forever,  and  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy.  This  old  mansion  was  a  model  of 
peaceful  loveliness  and  attraction.  "  All  around  here,"  says 
a  writer,  describing  the  place,  "  Arlington  Heights  presents 
a  lovely  picture  of  rural  beauty.  The  c  General  Lee  house,' 
as  some  term  it,  stands  on  a  grassy  lot,  surrounded  with  a 
grove  of  stately  trees  and  underwood,  except  in  front,  where 
is  a  verdant  sloping  ground  for  a  few  rods,  when  it  descends 
into  a  valley,  spreading  away  in  beautiful  and  broad  expanse 
to  the  lovely  Potomac.  This  part  of  the  splendid  estate  is 
apparently  a  highly-cultivated  meadow,  the  grass  waving  in 
the  gentle  breeze,  like  the  undulating  bosom  of  Old  Atlantic. 
To  the  south,  north,  and  west,  the  grounds  are  beautifully 
diversified  into  hill  and  valley,  and  richly  stored  with  oak, 
willow,  and  maple,  though  the  oak  is  the  principal  wood. 
The  view  from  the  height  is  a  charming  picture.  "Washing 
ton,  Georgetown,  and  the  intermediate  Potomac,  are  all  be 
fore  you  in  the  foreground." 

In  this  old  mansion  crowning  the  grassy  hill,  the  young 
officer  had  passed  the  happiest  moments  of  his  life.  All 
around  him  were  spots  associated  with  his  hours  of  purest 
enjoyment.  Each  object  in  the  house — the  old  furniture  and 
very  table-sets — recalled  the  memory  of  Washington,  and 
were  dear  to  him.  Here  were  many  pieces  of  the  "  Martha 
Washington  china,"  portions  of  the  porcelain  set  presented 


32  LEE'S  EARLY  LITE. 

to  Mrs.  Washington  bj  Lafayette  and  others — in  the  centra 
of  each  piece  the  monogram  "  M.  W."  with  golden  rays  di 
verging  to  the  names  of  the  old  thirteen  States.  Here 
were  also  fifty  pieces,  remnants  of  the  set  of  one  thousand, 
procured  from  China  by  the  Cincinnati  Society,  and  present 
ed  to  "Washington — articles  of  elaborate  decoration  in  blue 
and  gold,  "  with  the  coat-of-arms  of  the  society,  held  by 
Fame,  with  a  blue  ribbon,  from  which  is  suspended  the 
eagle  of  the  order,  with  a  green  wreath  about  its  neck,  and 
on  its  breast  a  shield  representing  the  inauguration  of  the 
order."  Add  to  these  the  tea-table  used  by  "Washington 
and  one  of  his  bookcases ;  old  portraits,  antique  furniture, 
and  other  memorials  of  the  Lee  family  from  Stratford — let 
the  reader  imagine  the  old  mansion  stored  with  these  price 
less  relics,  and  he  will  understand  with  what  anguish  Lee 
must  have  contemplated  what  came  duly  to  pass,  the  destruc 
tion,  by  rude  hands,  of  objects  so  dear  to  him.  That  he 
must  have  foreseen  the  fate  of  his  home  is  certain.  To  take 
sides  with  Yirginia  was  to  give  up  Arlington  to  its  fate. 

There  is  no  proof,  however,  that  this  sacrifice  of  his  per 
sonal  fortunes  had  any  effect  upon  him.  If  he  could  decide 
to  change  his  flag,  and  dissolve  every  tie  which  bound  him 
to  the  old  service,  he  could  sacrifice  all  else  without  much 
regret.  No  one  will  be  found  to  say  that  the  hope  of  rank 
or  emolument  in  the  South  influenced  him.  The  character 
and  whole  career  of  the  man  contradict  the  idea.  Hia 
ground  of  action  may  be  summed  up  in  a  single  sentence. 
He  went  with  his  State  because  he  believed  it  was  his  duty 
to  do  so,  and  because,  to  ascertain  what  was  his  duty,  and 
perform  it,  was  the  cardinal  maxim  of  his  life. 


HIS  RECEPTION  AT  RICHMOND.  33 

YIII. 

HIS   RECEPTION    AT   RICHMOND. 

No  sooner  had  intelligence  of  Lee's  resignation  of  his 
commission  in  the  United  States  Army  reached  Richmond, 
than  Governor  Letcher  appointed  him  major-general  of  the 
military  forces  of  Virginia.  The  appointment  was  con 
firmed  by  the  convention,  rather  by  acclamation  than 
formal  vote  ;  and  on  the  23d  of  April,  Lee,  who  had  mean 
while  left  "Washington  and  repaired  to  Richmond,  was  hon 
ored  by  a  formal  presentation  to  the  convention. 

The  address  of  President  Janney  was  eloquent,  and 
deserves  to  be  preserved.  Lee  stood  in  the  middle  aisle, 
and  the  president,  rising,  said : 

"MAJOR-GENERAL  LEE:  In  the  name  of  the  people  of  our  native 
State,  here  represented,  I  bid  you  a  cordial  and  heart-felt  welcome  to 
this  hall,  in  which  we  may  almost  yet  hear  the  echoes  of  the  voices  of 
the  statesmen,  the  soldiers,  and  sages  of  by-gone  days,  who  have  borne 
your  name,  and  whose  blood  now  flows  in  your  veins. 

"  We  met  in  the  month  of  February  last,  charged  with  the  solemn 
duty  of  protecting  the  rights,  the  honor,  and  the  interests  of  the  peo 
ple  of  this  Commonwealth.  We  differed  for  a  time  as  to  the  best 
means  of  accomplishing  that  object,  but  there  never  was,  at  any 
moment,  a  shade  of  difference  among  us  as  to  the  great  object  itself; 
and  now,  Virginia  haying  taken  her  position,  as  far  as  the  power  of 
this  convention  extends,  we  stand  animated  by  one  impulse,  governed 
by  one  desire  and  one  determination,  and  that  is,  that  she  shall  be 
defended,  and  that  no  spot  of  her  soil  shall  be  polluted  by  the  foot  of 
an  invader. 

"  When  the  necessity  became  apparent  of  having  a  leader  for  our 
forces,  all  hearts  and  all  eyes,  by  the  impulse  of  an  instinct  which  is  a 
surer  guide  than  reason  itself,  turned  to  the  old  county  of  Westmore- 


34:  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

land.  "We  knew  how  prolific  she  had  been  in  other  days  of  heroes  and 
statesmen.  We  knew  she  had  given  birth  to  the  Father  of  his  COUD^ 
try,  to  Richard  Henry  Lee,  to  Monroe,  and  last,  though  not  least,  to 
your  own  gallant  father,  and  we  knew  well,  by  your  deeds,  that  her 
productive  power  was  not  yet  exhausted. 

"  Sir,  we  watched  with  the  most  profound  and  intense  interest  the 
triumphal  march  of  the  army  led  by  General  Scott,  to  which  you 
were  attached,  from  Yera  Cruz  to  the  capital  of  Mexico.  We  read 
of  the  sanguinary  conflicts  and  the  blood-stained  fields,  in  all  of 
which  victory  perched  upon  our  own  banners.  We  knew  of  the 
unfading  lustre  that  was  shed  upon  the  American  arms  by  that  cam 
paign,  and  we  know,  also,  what  your  modesty  has  always  disclaimed, 
that  no  small  share  of  the  glory  of  those  achievements  was  due  to 
your  valor  and  your  military  genius. 

"  Sir,  one  of  the  proudest  recollections  of  my  life  will  be  the  honor 
that  I  yesterday  had  of  submitting  to  this  body  confirmation  of  the 
nomination,  made  by  the  Governor  of  this  State,  of  you  as  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  military  and  naval  forces  of  this  Commonwealth.  I 
rose  to  put  the  question,  and  when  I  asked  if  this  body  would  advise 
and  consent  to  that  appointment,  there  rushed  from  the  hearts  to  the 
tongues  of  all  the  members  an  affirmative  response,  which  told  with  an 
emphasis  that  could  leave  no  doubt  of  the  feeling  whence  it  emanated. 
I  put  the  negative  of  the  question,  for  form's  sake,  but  there  was  an 
unbroken  silence. 

"  Sir,  we  have,  by  this  unanimous  vote,  expressed  our  convictions 
that  you  are  at  this  day,  among  the  living  citizens  of  Virginia,  *  first 
in  war.'  We  pray  to  God  most  fervently  that  you  may  so  conduct  the 
operations  committed  to  your  charge  that  it  may  soon  be  said  of  you 
that  you  are  *  first  in  peace,'  and  when  that  time  comes  you  will  have 
earned  the  still  prouder  distinction  of  being  '  first  in  the  hearts  of 
your  countrymen.' " 

The  president  concluded  by  saying  that  Virginia  on 
that  day  intrusted  her  spotless  sword  to  Lee's  keeping,  and 
Lee  responded  as  follows : 


HIS  RECEPTION  AT   RICHMOND.  35 

"  MR.  PRESIDENT  AND  GENTLEMEN  OP  THE  CONVENTION  :  Profound- 
.y  impressed  with  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  for  which  I  must  say  I 
was  not  prepared,  I  accept  the  position  assigned  me  by  your  partiality. 
I  would  have  much  preferred  had  your  choice  fallen  upon  an  abler 
man.  Trusting  in  Almighty  God,  an  approving  conscience,  and  the 
aid  of  my  fellow-citizens,  I  devote  myself  to  the  service  of  my  native 
State,  in_whose  behalf  alone  will  I  ever  again  draw  my  sword." 

Such  were  the  modest  and  dignified  expressions  of  Lee 
in  accepting  the  great  trust.  The  reply  is  brief  and  simple, 
but  these  are  very  great  merits  on  such  an  occasion.  !No 
portion  of  the  address  contains  a  phrase  or  word  denuncia 
tory  of  the  Federal  Government,  or  of  the  motives  of  the  op 
ponents  of  Virginia ;  and  this  moderation  and  absence  of  all 
rancor  characterized  the  utterances  of  Lee,  both  oral  and 
written,  throughout  the  war.  He  spoke,  doubtless,  as  he 
felt,  and  uttered  no  expression  of  heated  animosity,  because 
he  cherished  no  such  sentiment.  His  heart  was  bleeding 
still  from  the  cruel  trial  it  had  undergone  in  abruptly 
tearing  away  from  the  old  service  to  embark  upon  civil 
war ;  with  the  emotions  of  the  present  occasion,  excited  by 
the  great  ovation  in  his  honor,  no  bitterness  mingled — or  at 
least,  if  there  were  such  bitterness  in  his  heart,  he  did  not 
permit  it  to  rise  to  his  lips.  He  accepted  the  trust  confided 
to  him  in  terms  of  dignity  and  moderation,  worthy  of 
Washington;  exchanged  grave  salutations  with  the  mem 
bers  of  the  convention ;  and  then,  retiring  from  the  hall 
where  he  had  solemnly  consecrated  his  life  to  his  native 
Commonwealth,  proceeded  at  once  to  energetic  work  to  get 
the  State  in  a  posture  of  defence. 

The  sentiment  of  the  country  in  reference  to  Lee  was 
even  warmer  than  that  of  the  convention.  For  weeks,  re- 


36  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

ports  had  been  rife  that  he  had  determined  to  adhere  to  the 
Federal  Government  in  the  approaching  struggle.  Such  an 
event,  it  was  felt  by  all,  would  be  a  public  calamity  to  Yir- 
ginia;  and  the  general  joy  may  be  imagined  when  it  was 
known  that  Lee  had  resigned  and  come  to  fight  with  his 
own  people.  He  assumed  command,  therefore,  of  all  the 
Virginia  forces,  in  the  midst  of  universal  public  rejoicing ; 
and  the  fact  gave  strength  and  consistency  to  the  general 
determination  to  resist  the  Federal  Government  to  the  last. 


IX. 

LEE   IN   1861. 

AT  this  time — April,  1861 — General  Lee  was  fifty-four 
years  of  age,  and  may  be  said  to  have  been  in  the  ripe 
vigor  of  every  faculty.  Physically  and  intellectually  he 
was  "  at  his  best,"  and  in  the  bloom  of  manhood.  His  fig 
ure  was  erect,  and  he  bore  himself  with  the  brief,  somewhat 
stiff  air  of  command  derived  from  his  military  education 
and  service  in  the  army.  This  air  of  the  professional  sol 
dier,  which  characterized  generally  the  graduates  of  "West 
Point,  was  replaced  afterward  by  a  grave  dignity,  the  result 
of  high  command  and  great  responsibilities.  In  April,  1861, 
however,  he  was  rather  the  ordinary  army  officer  in  bearing 
than  the  commander-in-chief. 

He  had  always  been  remarkable  for  his  manly  beauty, 
both  of  face  and  figure,  and  the  cares  of  great  command 
had  not  yet  whitened  his  hair.  There  was  not  a  gray  hair 
in  his  head,  and  his  mustache  was  dark  and  heavy.  The 


LEE  IN   1861.  37 

rest  of  his  face  was  clean-shaven,  and  his  cheeks  had  that 
fresh,  ruddy  hue  which  indicates  high  physical  health. 
This  was  not  at  that  time  or  afterward  the  result  of  high 
living.  Of  all  the  prominent  personages  of  his  epoch, 
Lee  was,  perhaps,  the  most  temperate.  He  rarely  drank 
even  so  much  as  a  single  glass  of  wine,  and  it  was  a  matter 
of  general  notoriety  in  the  army  afterward,  that  he  cared 
not  what  he  ate.  The  ruddy  appearance  which  character 
ized  him  from  first  to  last  was  the  result  of  the  most  perfect 
ly-developed  physical  health,  which  no  species  of  indulgence 
had  ever  impaired.  He  used  no  tobacco  then  or  afterward, 
in  any  shape — that  seductive  weed  which  has  been  called 
"the  soldier's  comfort" — and  seemed,  indeed,  superior  to 
all  those  small  vices  which  assail  men  of  his  profession. 
Grave,  silent,  with  a  military  composure  of  bearing  which 
amounted  at  times,  as  we  have  said,  to  stiffness,  he  resembled 
a  machine  in  the  shape  of  a  man.  At  least  this  was  the  im 
pression  which  he  produced  upon  those  who  saw  him  in 
public  at  this  time. 

The  writer's  design,  here,  is  to  indicate  the  personal  ap- 

v*^ 
pearance  and  bearing  of  General  Lee  on  the  threshold  of 

the  war.  It  may  be  said,  by  way  of  summing  up  all,  that 
he  was  a  full-blooded  "  West-Pointer  "  in  appearance ;  the 
militaire  as  distinguished  from  the  civilian ;  and  no  doubt 
impressed  those  who  held  official  interviews  with  him  as  a 
personage  of  marked  reserve.  The  truth  and  frankness  of 
the  man  under  all  circumstances,  and  his  great,  warm  heart, 
full  of  honesty  and  unassuming  simplicity,  became  known_y 
only  in  the  progress  of  the  war.  How  simple  and  true  and 
honest  he  was,  will  appear  from  a  letter  to  his  son,  G.  W. 
Custis  Lee,  written  some  time  before : 


38  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

"  You  must  study,"  he  wrote,  "  to  be  frank  with  the  world ;  frank 
ness  is  the  child  of  honesty  and  courage.  Say  just  what  you  mean  to 
do  on  every  occasion,  and  take  it  for  granted  you  mean  to  do  right. 
If  a  friend  asks  a  favor,  you  should  grant  it,  if  it  is  reasonable  ;  if  not, 
tell  him  plainly  why  you  cannot :  you  will  wrong  him  and  wrong  your 
self  by  equivocation  of  any  kind.  Never  do  a  wrong  thing  to  make  a 
friend  or  keep  one ;  the  man  who  requires  you  to  do  so,  is  dearly  pur 
chased  at  a  sacrifice.  Deal  kindly,  but  firmly,  with  all  your  classmates ; 
you  will  find  it  the  policy  which  wears  best.  Above  all,  do  not  appear 
to  others  what  you  are  not.  If  you  have  any  fault  to  find  with  any 
one,  tell  him,  not  others,  of  what  you  complain ;  there  is  no  more  dan 
gerous  experiment  than  that  of  undertaking  to  be  one  thing  before  a 
man's  face  and  another  behind  his  back.  "We  should  live,  act,  and 
say,  nothing  to  the  injury  of  any  one.  It  is  not  only  best  as  a  matter 
of  principle,  but  it  is  the  path  to  peace  and  honor. 

"  In  regard  to  duty,  let  me,  in  conclusion  of  this  hasty  letter,  in 
form  you  that,  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago,  there  was  a  day  of  remark 
able  gloom  and  darkness — still  known  as  ( the  dark  day ' — a  day  when 
the  light  of  the  sun  was  slowly  extinguished,  as  if  by  an  eclipse.  The 
Legislature  of  Connecticut  was  in  session,  and,  as  its  members  saw  the 
unexpected  and  unaccountable  darkness  coming  on,  they  shared  in  the 
general  awe  and  terror.  It  was  supposed  by  many  that  the  last  day — 
the  day  of  judgment — had  come.  Some  one,  in  the  consternation  of 
the  hour,  moved  an  adjournment.  Then  there  arose  an  old  Puritan 
legislator,  Davenport,  of  Stamford,  and  said  that,  if  the  last  day  had 
come,  he  desired  to  be  found  at  his  place  doing  his  duty,  and,  there 
fore,  moved  that  candles  be  brought  in,  so  that  the  House  could  pro 
ceed  with  its  duty.  There  was  quietness  in  that  man's  mind,  the 
quietness  of  heavenly  wisdom  and  inflexible  willingness  to  obey 
present  duty.  Duty,  then,  is  the  sublimest  word  in  our  language. 
Do  your  duty  in  all  things,  like  the  old  Puritan.  You  cannot  do 
more,  you  should  never  wish  to  do  less.  Never  let  me  and  your 
mother  wear  one  gray  hair  for  any  lack  of  duty  on  your  part." 

The  maxims  of  this  letter  indicate  the  noble  and  con- 


LEE  IN   1861.  39 

scientious  character  of  the  man  who  wrote  it.  "  Frankness 
is  the  child  of  honesty  and  courage."  "  Say  jusrt  what  you 
mean  to  do  on  every  occasion."  "  Never  do  a  wrong  thing 
to  make  a  friend  or  keep  one."  "  Duty  is  the  sublimest 
word  in  our  language  ...  do  your  duty  in  all  things  .  .  . 
you  cannot  do  more."  That  he  lived  up  to  these  great 
maxims,  amid  all  the  troubled  scenes  and  hot  passions  of  a 
stormy  epoch,  is  Lee's  greatest  glory,  i  His  fame  as  a  soldier^) 
great  as  it  is,  yields  to  the  true  glory  of  having  placed  duty 
before  his  eyes  always  as  the  supreme  object  of  life.  He 
resigned  his  commission  from  a  sense  of  duty  to  his  native 
State ;  made  this  same  duty  his  sole  aim  in  every  portion 
of  his  subsequent  career ;  and,  when  all  had  failed,  and  the 
cause  he  had  fought  for  was  overthrown,  it  was  the  con 
sciousness  of  having  performed  conscientiously,  and  to  his 
utmost,  his  whole  duty,  which  took  the  sting  from  defeat, 
and  gave  him  that  noble  calmness  which  the  whole  world 
saw  and  admired.  "Human  virtue  should  be  equal  to 
human  calamity,"  were  his  august  words  when  all  was  lost, 
and  men's  minds  were  sinking  under  the  accumulated  agony 
of  defeat  and  despair.  Those  words  could  only  have  been 
uttered  by  a  man  who  made  duty  the  paramount  object 
of  living — the  performance  of  it,  the  true  glory  and  crown 
of  virtuous  manhood.  It  may  be  objected  by  some  critics 
that  he  mistook  his  duty  in  espousing  the  Southern  cause. 
Doubtless  many  persons  will  urge  that  objection,  and  de 
clare  that  the  words  here  written  are  senseless  panegyric. 
But  that  will  not  affect  the  truth  or  detract  from  Lee's  great 
character.  He  performed  at  least  what  in  his  inmost  soul 
lie  considered  his  duty,  and,  from  the  beginning  of  his 
career,  when  all  was  so  bright,  to  its  termination,  when  all 


iO  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

was  so  dark,  it  will  be  found  that  his  controlling  sentiment 
was,  first,  last,  and  all  the  time,  this  performance  of  duty. 
The  old  Puritan,  whose  example  he  admired  so  much,  was 
not  more  calm  and  resolute.  "When  "  the  last  day  "  of  the 
cause  he  fought  for  came — in  the  spring  of  1865 — it  was 
plain  to  all  who  saw  the  man,  standing  unmoved  in  the 
midst  of  the  general  disaster,  that  his  sole  desire  was  to  be 
"  found  at  his  place,  and  doing  his  duty." 

From  this  species  of  digression  upon  the  moral  constit 
uents  of  the  individual,  we  pass  to  the  record  of  that  career 
which  made  the  great  fame  of  the  soldier.  The  war  had 
already  begun  when  Lee  took  command  of  the  provisional 
forces  of  Virginia,  and  the  collisions  in  various  portions  of 
the  Gulf  States  between  the  Federal  and  State  authorities 
were  followed  by  overt  acts  in  Virginia,  which  all  felt  would 
be  the  real  battle-ground  of  the  war.  The  North  entered 
upon  the  struggle  with  very  great  ardor  and  enthusiasm. 
The  call  for  volunteers  to  enforce  obedience  to  the  Federal 
authority  was  tumultuously  responded  to  throughout  the 
entire  North,  and  troops  were  hurried  forward  to  "Washing 
ton,  which  soon  became  an  enormous  camp.  The  war  began 
in  Virginia  with  the  evacuation  and  attempted  destruction 
of  the  works  at  Harper's  Ferry,  by  the  Federal  officer  in 
command  there.  This  was  on  the  19th  of  April,  and  on  the 
next  day  reinforcements  were  thrown  into  Fortress  Monroe ; 
and  the  navy-yard  at  Norfolk,  with  the  shipping,  set  on 
fire  and  abandoned. 

Lee  thus  found  the  Commonwealth  in  a  state  of  war, 
and  all  his  energies  were  immediately  concentrated  upon  the 
work  of  placing  her  in  a  condition  of  defence.  He  estab 
lished  his  headquarters  in  the  custom-house  at  Eichmond ; 


LEE  IN   1861.  £j 

orderlies  were  seen  coming  and  going;  bustle  reigned 
throughout  the  building,  and  by  night,  as  well  as  by  day, 
General  Lee  labored  incessantly  to  organize  the  means  of 
resistance.  From  the  first  moment,  all  had  felt  that  Vir- 
ginia,  from  her  geographical  position,  adjoining  the  Federal 
frontier  and  facing  the  Federal  capital,  would  become  the 
arena  of  the  earliest,  longest,  and  most  determined  struggle. 
Her  large  territory  and  moral  influence,  as  the  oldest  of  the 
Southern  States,  also  made  her  the  chief  object  of  the  Fed 
eral  hostility.  It  was  felt  that  if  Virginia  were  occupied, 
and  her  people  reduced  under  the  Federal  authority  again, 
the  Southern  cause  woul*J  be  deprived  of  a  large  amount  of 
its  prestige  and  strength.  The  authorities  of  the  Gulf  States 
accordingly  hurried  forward  to  Richmond  all  available 
troops ;  and  from  all  parts  of  Virginia  the  volunteer  regi 
ments,  which  had  sprung  up  like  magic,  were  in  like  manner 
forwarded  by  railway  to  the  capital.  Every  train  brought 
additions  to  this  great  mass  of  raw  war  material;  large 
camps  rose  around  Richmond,  chief  among  which  was  that 
named  "  Camp  Lee  ;  "  and  the  work  of  drilling  and  mould 
ing  this  crude  material  for  the  great  work  before  it  was  ar 
dently  proceeded  with  under  the  supervision  of  Lee. 

An  Executive  Board,  or  Military  Council,  had  been  formed, 
consisting  of  Governor  Letcher  and  other  prominent  offi 
cials  ;  but  these  gentlemen  had  the  good  sense  to  intrust  the 
main  work  of  organizing  an  army  to  Lee.  As  yet  the  great 
question  at  Eichmond  was  to  place  Virginia  in  a  state  of 
defence— to  prepare  that  Commonwealth  for  the  hour  of 
trial,  by  enrolling  her  own  people.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  Lee  held  no  commission  from  the  Confederate  States ; 
he  was  major-general  of  the  Provisional  Army  of  Virginia, 


4:2  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

and  to  place  this  Provisional  Army  in  a  condition  to  take 
the  field  was  the  first  duty  before  him.  It  was  difficult,  not 
from  want  of  ardor  in  the  population,  but  from  the  want  of 
the  commonest  material  necessary  in  time  of  war.  There 
were  few  arms,  and  but  small  supplies  of  ammunition. 
While  the  Federal  Government  entered  upon  the  war  with 
the  amplest  resources,  the  South  found  herself  almost  en 
tirely  destitute  of  the  munitions  essential  to  her  protection. 
All  was  to  be  organized  and  put  at  once  into  operation — the 
quartermaster,  commissary,  ordnance,  and  other  departments. 
Transportation,  supplies  of  rations,  arms,  ammunition,  all 
were  to  be  collected  immediately.  The  material  existed,  or 
could  be  supplied,  as  the  sequel  clearly  showed ;  but  as  yet 
there  was  almost  nothing.  And  it  was  chiefly  to  the  work 
of  organizing  these  departments,  first  of  all,  that  General 
Lee  and  the  Military  Council  addressed  themselves  with  the 
utmost  energy. 

The  result  was,  that  the  State  found  herself  very  soon  in 
a  condition  to  offer  a  determined  resistance.  The  troops  at 
the  various  camps  of  instruction  were  successively  sent  to 
the  field ;  others  took  their  places,  and  the  work  of  drilling 
the  raw  material  into  soldiers  went  on ;  supplies  were  col 
lected,  transportation  found,  workshops  for  the  construction 
of  arms  and  ammunition  sprung  up ;  small-arms,  cannon, 
cartridges,  fixed  and  other  ammunition,  were  produced  in 
quantities ;  and,  in  a  time  which  now  seems  wholly  inade 
quate  for  such  a  result,  the  Commonwealth  of  Yirginia  was 
ready  to  take  the  field  against  the  Federal  Government. 


THE  WAR  BEGINS.  4.3 

X. 

THE    WAR    BEGINS. 

EAELY  in  May,  Virginia  became  formally  a  member  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy,  and  the  troops  which  she  had 
raised  a  portion  of  the  Confederate  States  Army.  When 
Richmond  became  the  capital  soon  afterward,  and  the  South 
ern  Congress  assembled,  five  brigadier-generals  were  ap 
pointed,  Generals  Cooper,  Albert  S.  Johnston,  Lee,  J.  E. 
Johnston,  and  Beauregard.  Large  forces  had  been  mean 
while  raised  throughout  the  South;  Virginia  became  the 
centre  of  all  eyes,  as  the  scene  of  the  main  struggle ;  and 
early  in  June  occurred  at  Bethel,  in  Lower  Virginia,  the 
first  prominent  affair,  in  which  General  Butler,  with  about 
four  thousand  men,  was  repulsed  and  forced  to  retire. 

The  affair  at  Bethel,  which  was  of  small  importance,  was 
followed  by  movements  in  Northern  and  Western  Virginia 
— the  battles  at  Eich  Mountain  and  Carrick's  Ford ;  Johns 
ton's  movements  in  the  Valley  ;  and  the  advance  of  the  main 
Federal  army  on  the  force  under  Beauregard,  which  re 
sulted  in  the  first  battle  of  Manassas.  In  these  events,  Gen 
eral  Lee  bore  no  part,  and  we  need  not  speak  of  them  fur 
ther  than  to  present  a  summary  of  the  results.  The  Federal 
design  had  been  to  penetrate  Virginia  in  three  columns.  One 
was  to  advance  from  the  northwest  under  General  McClel- 
lan;  a  second,  under  General  Patterson,  was  to  take  pos 
session  of  the  Valley ;  and  a  third,  under  General  McDowell, 
was  to  drive  Beauregard  back  from  Manassas  on  Richmond. 
Only  one  of  these  columns — that  of  McClellan — succeeded 

:n  its  undertaking.     Johnston  held  Patterson  in  check  in 
4 


44  LEE'S    EARLY    LITE. 

the  Yalley  until  the  advance  upon  Manassas ;  then  by  a  flank 
march  the  Confederate  general  hastened  to  the  assistance  of 
Beauregard.  The  battle  of  Manassas  followed  on  Sunday, 
the  21st  of  July.  After  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  force  the 
Confederate  right.  General  McDowell  assailed  their  left, 
making  for  that  purpose  a  long  detour — and  at  first  carried 
all  before  him.  Reinforcements  were  hurried  forward,  how 
ever,  and  the  Confederates  fought  with  the  energy  of  men 
defending  their  own  soil.  The  obstinate  stand  made  by 
Evans,  Bee,  Bartow,  Jackson,  and  their  brave  associates, 
turned  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  and,  when  reinforcements 
subsequently  reached  the  field  under  General  Kirby  Smith 
and  General  Early,  the  Federal  troops  retreated  in  great 
disorder  toward  Washington. 


XL 

LEE'S    ADVANCE    INTO    WESTEEN    VIEGINIA. 

GENERAL  LEE  nowhere  appears,  as  we  have  seen,  in 
these  first  great  movements  and  conflicts.  He  was  without 
any  specific  command,  and  remained  at  Richmond,  engaged 
in  placing  that  city  in  a  state  of  defence.  The  works  which 
he  constructed  proved  subsequently  of  great  importance  to 
the  city,  and  a  Northern  officer  writes  of  Lee :  "  While  the 
fortifications  of  Richmond  stand,  his  name  will  evoke  ad 
miration  ;  the  art  of  war  is  unacquainted  with  any  defence 
so  admirable." 

Lee's  first  appearance  in  the  war,  as  commander  of 
troops  in  the  field,  took  place  in  the  fall  of  1SG1,  when  he 
was  sent  to  operate  against  the  forces  under  General  Rose- 


LEE'S  ADVANCE  INTO   WESTERN  VIRGINIA.  45 

crans  in  the  fastnesses  of  Western  Yirginia.  This  indeci 
sive  and  unimportant  movement  has  been  the  subject  of 
various  comment ;  the  official  reports  were  burned  in  the 
conflagration  at  Bichmond,  or  captured,  and  the  elaborate 
plans  drawn  up  by  Lee  of  his  intended  movement  against 
General  Beynolds,  at  Cheat  Mountain,  have  in  the  same 
manner  disappeared.  Under  these  circumstances,  and  as 
the  present  writer  had  no  personal  knowledge  of  the  sub 
ject,  it  seems  best  to  simply  quote  the  brief  statement 
which  follows.  It  is  derived  from  an  officer  of  high  rank 
and  character,  whose  statement  is  only  second  in  value  to 
that  of  General  Lee  himself: 

"  After  General  Garnett's  death,  General  Lee  was  sent  by  the  Presi 
dent  to  ascertain  what  could  be  done  in  the  trans- Alleghany  region, 
and  to  endeavor  to  harmonize  our  movements,  etc.,  in  that  part  of  the 
State.  He  was  not  ordered  to  take  command  of  the  troops,  nor  did 
he  do  so,  during  the  whole  time  he  was  there. 

"Soon  after  his  arrival  he  came  to  the  decided  conclusion  that 
that  was  not  the  line  from  which  to  make  an  offensive  movement. 
The  country,  although  not  hostile,  was  not  friendly;  supplies  could 
not  be  obtained;  the  enemy  had  possession  of  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Railroad,  from  which,  and  the  Ohio  River  as  a  base,  he  could 
operate  with  great  advantage  against  us,  and  our  only  chance  was 
to  drive  him  from  the  railroad,  take  possession,  and  use  it  ourselves. 
We  had  not  the  means  of  doing  this,  and  consequently  could  only  try 
to  hold  as  much  country  as  possible,  and  occupy  as  large  a  force  of 
the  enemy  as  could  be  kept  in  front  of  us.  The  movement  against 
Cheat  Mountain,  which  failed,  was  undertaken  with  a  view  of  causing 
the  enemy  to  contract  his  lines,  and  enable  us  to  unite  the  troops 
under  Generals  Jackson  (of  Georgia)  and  Loring.  After  the  failure 
of  this  movement  on  our  part,  General  Rosecrans,  feeling  secure, 
strengthened  his  lines  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  went  with  a 
part  of  his  forces  to  the  Kanawha,  driving  our  forces  across  the 


46  LEE'S  EARLY  LIFE. 

Gauley.  General  Lee  then  went  to  that  line  of  operations,  to  en 
deavor  to  unite  the  troops  under  Generals  Floyd  and  Wise,  and  stop 
the  movements  under  Rosecrans.  General  Loring,  with  a  part  of  his 
force  from  Valley  Mountain,  joined  the  forces  at  Sewell  Mountain. 
Rosecrans's  movement  was  stopped,  and,  the  season  for  operations  in 
that  country  being  over,  General  Lee  was  ordered  to  Richmond,  and 
soon  afterward  sent  to  South  Carolina,  to  meet  the  movement  of  the 
enemy  from  Port  Royal,  etc.  He  remained  in  South  Carolina  until 
shortly  before  the  commencement  of  the  campaign  before  Richmond, 

in  1862." 

• 

The  months  spent  by  General  Lee  in  superintending 
the  coast  defences  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  present 
nothing  of  interest,  and  we  shall  therefore  pass  to  the  spring 
of  1862,  when  he  returned  to  Richmond.  His  services  as 
engineer  had  been  -highly  appreciated  by  the  people  of  the 
South,  and  a  writer  of  the  period  said :  "  The  time  will 
yet  come  when  his  superior  abilities  will  be  vindicated, 
both  to  his  own  renown  and  the  glory  of  his  country." 
The  time  was  now  at  hand  when  these  abilities,  if  the 
individual  possessed  them,  were  to  have  an  opportunity  to 
display  themselves. 


XII. 

LEE'S    LAST    INTERVIEW    WITH    BISHOP  MEADE. 

A  TOUCHING  incident  of  Lee's  life  belongs  to  this  time — 
the  early  spring  of  1862.  Bishop  Meade,  the  venerable 
head  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Virginia,  lay  at  the  point 
of  death,  in  the  city  of  Richmond.  "When  General  Lee 
was  informed  of  the  fact,  he  exhibited  lively  emotion,  for 


LEE'S  LAST  INTERVIEW  WITH  BISHOP  MEADE.  tf 

the  good  bishop,  as  we  have  said  in  the  commencement  of 
this  narrative,  had  taught  him  his  catechism  when  he  was  a 
boy  in  Alexandria.  On  the  day  before  the  bishop's  death, 
General  Lee  called  in  the  morning  to  see  him,  but  such  was 
the  state  of  prostration  under  which  the  sick  man  labored, 
that  only  a  few  of  his  most  intimate  friends  were  permitted 
to  have  access  to  his  chamber.  In  the  evening  General 
Lee  called  again,  and  his  name  was  announced  to  Bishop 
Meade.  As  soon  as  he  heard  it,  he  said  faintly,  for  his 
breathing  had  become  much  oppressed,  and  he  spoke  with 
great  difficulty :  "  I  must  see  him,  if  only  for  a  few  mo 
ments." 

General  Lep  was  accordingly  introduced,  and  approached 
the  dying  man,  with  evidences  of  great  emotion  in  his 
countenance.  Taking  the  thin  hand  in  his  own,  he  said : 

"  How  do  you  feel,  bishop  ? " 

"Almost  gone,"  replied  Bishop  Meade,  in  a  voice  so 
weak  that  it  was  almost  inaudible ;  "  but  I  wanted  to  see 
you  once  more." 

He  paused  for  an  instant,  breathing  heavily,  and  looking 
at  Lee  with  deep  feeling. 

"  God  bless  you !  God  bless  you,  Eobert !  "  he  faltered 
out,  "  and  fit  you  for  your  high  and  responsible  duties.  I 
can't  call  you  '  general  '—I  must  call  you  '  Eobert ; '  I  have 
heard  you  your  catechism  too  often." 

General  Lee  pressed  the  feeble  hand,  and  tears  rolled 
down  his  cheeks. 

"  Yes,  bishop— very  often,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  the  last 
words  uttered  by  the  bishop. 

A  brief  conversation  followed,  Bishop  Meade  making 
inquiries  in  reference  to  Mrs.  Lee,  who  was  his  own  relative, 


48  LEE'S  EARLY   LIFE. 

and  other  members  of  the  family.  '  "He  also,"  says  the 
highly-respectable  clergyman  who  furnishes  these  particu 
lars,  "  put  some  pertinent  questions  to  General  Lee  about 
the  state  of  public  affairs  and  of  the  army,  showing  the 
most  lively  interest  in  the  success  of  our  cause." 

It  now  became  necessary  to  terminate  an  interview 
which,  in  the  feeble  condition  of  the  aged  man,  could  not 
be  prolonged.  Much  exhausted,  and  laboring  under  deep 
emotion,  Bishop  Meade  shook  the  general  by  the  hand,  and 
said : 

"  Heaven  bless  you !  Heaven  bless  you !  and  give  you 
wisdom  for  your  important  and  arduous  duties  1  " 

These  were  the  last  words  uttered  during  the  interview. 
General  Lee  pressed  the  dying  man's  hand,  released  it,  stood 
for  several  minutes  by  the  bedside  motionless  and  in  perfect 
silence,  and  then  went  out  of  the  room. 

On  the  next  morning  Bishop  Meade  expired. 


PAET  H. 
IN    FRONT    OF    RICHMOND. 


I. 

PLAN  OF  THE  FEDERAL  CAMPAIGN. 

THE  pathetic  interview  which,  we  have  just  described 
took  place  in  the  month  of  March,  1862. 

By  the  latter  part  of  that  month.  General  McClellan,  in 
command  of  an  army  of  more  than  one  hundred  thousand 
men,  landed  on  the  Peninsula  between  the  James  and  York 
Rivers,  and  after  stubbornly-contested  engagements  with  the 
forces  of  General  Johnston,  advanced  up  the  Peninsula— 
the  Confederates  slowly  retiring.  In  the  latter  part  of  May,  a 
portion  of  the  Federal  forces  had  crossed  the  Chickahominy, 
and  confronted  General  Johnston  defending  Richmond. 

Such  was  the  serious  condition  of  affairs  in  the  spring 
of  1862.  The  Federal  sword  had  nearly  pierced  the  heart 
of  Virginia,  and,  as  the  course  of  events  was  about  to  place 
Lee  in  charge  of  her  destinies,  a  brief  notice  is  indispensable 
of  the  designs  of  the  adversaries  against  whom  he  was  to 
contend  on  the  great  arena  of  the  State. 

While  the  South  had  been  lulled  to  sleep,  as  it  were,  by 
the  battle  of  Manassas,  the  North,  greatly  enraged  at  the 


50  IN  FRONT  OF  RICHMOND. 

disaster,  had  prepared  to  prosecute  the  war  still  more  vigor 
ously.  The  military  resources  of  the  South  had  been  plain 
ly  underestimated.  It  was  now  obvious  that  the  North  had 
to  fight  with  a  dangerous  adversary,  and  that  the  people  of 
the  South  were  entirely  in  earnest.  Many  journals  of  the 
North  had  ridiculed  the  idea  of  war ;  and  one  of  them  had 
spoken  of  the  great  uprising  of  the  Southern  States  from 
the  Potomac  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  as  a  mere  "  local  com 
motion  "  which  a  force  of  fifty  thousand  men  would  be  able 
to  put  down  without  difficulty.  A  column  of  twenty-five 
thousand  men,  it  was  said,  would  be  sufficient  to  carry  all 
before  it  in  Virginia,  and  capture  Richmond,  and  the  com 
ment  on  this  statement  had  been  the  battle  of  Manassas, 
where  a  force  of  more  than  fifty  thousand  had  been  defeated 
and  driven  back  to  "Washington. 

It  was  thus  apparent  that  the  war  was  to  be  a  serious 
struggle,  in  which  the  North  would  be  compelled  to  exert 
all  her  energies.  The  people  responded  to  the  call  upon 
them  with  enthusiasm.  All  the  roving  and  adventurous 
elements  of  Northern  society  flocked  to  the  Federal  stand 
ard,  and  in  a  short  time  a  large  force  had  once  more 
assembled  at  "Washington.  The  work  now  was  to  drill, 
equip,  and  put  it  in  efficient  condition  for  taking  the  field. 
This  was  undertaken  with  great  energy,  the  Congress 
cooperating  with  the  Executive  in  every  manner.  The 
city  of  "Washington  resounded  with  the  wheels  of  artillery 
and  the  tramp  of  cavalry ;  the  workshops  were  busy  night 
and  day  to  supply  arms  and  ammunition  ;  and  the  best  offi 
cers  devoted  themselves,  without  rest,  to  the  work  of  drill 
ing  and  disciplining  the  mass. 

By  the  spring  of  1862  a  force  of  about  two  hundred 


PLAN  OF  THE  FEDERAL   CAMPAIGN.  51 

thousand  men  was  ready  to  take  the  field  in  Virginia. 
General  Scott  was  not  to  command  in  the  coming  cam 
paigns.  He  had  retired  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
1861,  and  his  place  had  been  filled  by  a  young  officer  of  ris 
ing  reputation — General  George  B.  McClellan,  who  had 
achieved  the  successes  of  Rich  Mountain  and  Carrick's 
Ford  in  Western  Virginia.  General  McClellan  was  not  yet 
forty,  but  had  impressed  the  authorities  with  a  high  opinion 
of  his  abilities.  A  soldier  by  profession,  and  enjoying  the 
distinction  of  having  served  with  great  credit  in  the  Mexi 
can  "War,  he  had  been  sent  as  United  States  military  com 
missioner  to  the  Crimea,  and  on  his  return  had  written  a  book 
of  marked  ability  on  the  military  organizations  of  the  pow 
ers  of  Europe.  When  the  struggle  between  the  North  and 
South  approached,  he  was  said — with  what  truth  we  know 
not — to  have  hesitated,  before  determining  upon  his  course ; 
but  it  is  probable  that  the  only  question  with  him  was 
whether-  he  should  fight  for  the  North  or  remain  neutral. 
In  his  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  the  war  on  the 
South  is  said  to  have  shocked  his  State-rights  view.  But, 
whatever  his  sentiments  had  been,  he  accepted  command, 
and  fought  a  successful  campaign  in  Western  Yirginia. 
From  that  moment  his  name  became  famous ;  he  was  said 
to  have  achieved  "  two  victories  in  one  day,"  and  he  re 
ceived  from  the  newspapers  the  flattering  name  of  "  the 
Young  Napoleon." 

The  result  of  this  successful  campaign,  slight  in  impor 
tance  as  it  was,  procured  for  General  McClellan  the  high 
post  of  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United 
States.  Operations  in  every  portion  of  the  South  were  to 
be  directed  by  him ;  and  he  was  especially  intrusted  with 


52  IN  FRONT  OF  RICHMOND. 

the  important  work  of  organizing  the  new  levies  at  Wash 
ington.  This  he  performed  with  very  great  ability.  Un 
der  his  vigorous  hand,  the  raw  material  soon  took  shape. 
He  gave  his  personal  attention  to  every  department ;  and 
the  result,  as  we  have  said,  in  the  early  spring  of  1862,  was 
an  army  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  men,  for  op 
erations  in  Yirginia  alone. 

The  great  point  now  to  be  determined  was  the  best  line 
of  operations  against  Richmond.  President  Lincoln  was 
strongly  in  favor  of  an  advance  by  way  of  Manassas  and 
the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad,  which  he  thought 
would  insure  the  safety  of  the  Federal  capital.  This  was 
always,  throughout  the  whole  war,  a  controlling  consider 
ation  with  him ;  and,  regarded  in  the  light  of  subsequent 
events,  this  solicitude  seems  to  have  been  well  founded. 
More  than  once  afterward,  General  Lee — to  use  his  own  ex 
pression — thought  of  "swapping  queens,"  that  is  to  say, 
advancing  upon  "Washington,  without  regard  to  the  capture 
of  Richmond ;  and  President  Lincoln,  with  that  excellent 
good  sense  which  he  generally  exhibited,  felt  that  the  loss 
of  Washington  would  prove  almost  fatal  to  the  Federal 
cause. — Such  was  the  origin  of  the  President's  preference 
for  the  Manassas  line.  General  McClellan  did  not  share 
it.  He  assented  it  seems  at  first,  but  soon  resolved  to  adopt 
another  plan — an  advance  either  from  Urbanna  on  the  Rap- 
pahannock,  or  from  "West  Point  on  the  York.  Against  his 
views  and  determination,  the  President  and  authorities 
struggled  in  vain.  McClellan  treated  their  arguments  and 
appeals  with  a  want  of  ceremony  amounting  at  times  nearly 
to  contempt;  he  adhered  to  his  own  plan  resolutely,  and 
in  the  end  the  President  gave  way.  In  rueful  protest 


JOHNSTON  IS  WOUNDED.  53 

against  the  continued  inactivity  of  General  McClellan, 
President  Lincoln  had  exclaimed,  "  If  General  McClellan 
does  not  want  to  use  the  army,  I  would  like  to  borrow  it ; " 
and  "  if  something  is  not  soon  done,  the  bottom  will  be  out 
of  the  whole  affair." 

At  last  General  McClellan  carried  his  point,  and  an 
advance  against  Richmond  from  the  Peninsula  was  decided 
upon.  In  order  to  assist  this  movement,  General  Fre 
mont  was  to  march  through  Northwestern  Virginia,  and 
General  Banks  up  the  Valley ;  and,  having  thus  arranged 
their  programme,  the  Federal  authorities  began  to  move 
forward  to  the  great  work.  To  transport  an  army  of  more 
than  one  hundred  thousand  men  by  water  to  the  Penin 
sula  was  a  heavy  undertaking ;  but  the  ample  resources  of 
the  Government  enabled  them  to  do  so  without  difficulty. 
General  McClellan,  who  had  now  been  removed  from  his 
post  of  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United 
States,  and  assigned  to  the  command  only  of  the  army 
to  operate  against  Richmond,  landed  his  forces  on  the  Pen 
insula,  and,  after  several  actions  of  an  obstinate  description, 
advanced  toward  the  Chickahominy,  General  Johnston,  the 
Confederate  commander,  deliberately  retiring.  Johnston 
took  up  a  position  behind  this  stream,  and,  toward  the  end 
of  May,  McClellan  crossed  a  portion  of  his  forces  and  con 
fronted  him. 


II. 

JOHNSTON    IS    WOUNDED. 

THE  army  thus  threatening  the  city  which  had  become 
the  capital  of  the  Confederacy  was  large   and   excellently 


54  IN  FKONT  OF  RICHMOND. 

equipped.  It  numbered  in  all,  according  to  General  Me- 
Clellan's  report,  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  men,  of  whom  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  thousand  one  hundred  and  two  were  effective  troops 
— that  is  to  say,  present  and  ready  for  duty  as  fighting-men 
in  the  field. 

Results  of  such  magnitude  were  expected  from  this 
great  army,  that  all  the  resources  of  the  Federal  Govern 
ment  had  been  taxed  to  bring  it  to  the  highest  possible 
state  of  efficiency.  The  artillery  was  numerous,  and  of  the 
most  approved  description  ;  small-arms  of  the  best  patterns 
and  workmanship  were  profusely  supplied;  the  ammuni 
tion  was  of  the  finest  quality,  and  almost  inexhaustible  in 
quantity  ;  and  the  rations  for  the  subsistence  of  the  troops, 
which  were  equally  excellent  and  abundant,  were  brought 
up  in  an  unfailing  stream  from  the  White  House,  in  Gen 
eral  McClellan's  rear,  over  the  York  Eiver  Railroad,*  which 
ran  straight  to  his  army. 

Such  was  the  admirable  condition  of  the  large  force 
under  command  of  General  McClellan.  It  would  be  diffi 
cult  to  imagine  an  army  better  prepared  for  active  opera 
tions;  and  the  position  which  it  held  had  been  well  se 
lected.  The  left  of  the  army  was  protected  by  the  wellnigh 
impassable  morass  of  the  White-oak  Swamp,  and  all  the 
approaches  from  the  direction  of  Eichmond  were  obstructed 
by  the  natural  difficulties  of  the  ground,  which  had  been 
rendered  still  more  forbidding  by  an  abattis  of  felled  trees 
and  earthworks  of  the  best  description.  Unless  the  right 
of  McClellan,  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Chickahoininy, 
were  turned  by  the  Confederates,  his  communications  with 
his  base  at  the  White  House  and  the  safety  of  his  army 


JOHNSTON  IS  WOUNDED.  55 

were  assured.  And  even  the  apparently  improbable  con 
tingency  of  such  an  assault  on  his  right  had  been  provided 
for.  Other  bodies  of  Federal  troops  had  advanced  into 
Virginia  to  cooperate  with  the  main  force  on  the  Penin 
sula.  General  McDowell,  the  able  soldier  who  had  nearly 
defeated  the  Confederates  at  Manassas,  was  at  Fredericks- 
burg  with  a  force  of  about  forty  thousand  men,  which 
were  to  advance  southward  without  loss  of  time  and  unite 
with  General  McClellan's  right.  This  would  completely 
insure  the  communications  of  his  army  from  interruption ; 
and  it  was  no  doubt  expected  that  Generals  Fremont  and 
Banks  would  cooperate  in  the  movement  also.  Fremont 
was  to  advance  from  Northwestern  Yirginia,  driving  before 
him  the  small  Confederate  force,  under  Jackson,  in  the  Val- 
ley ;  and  General  Banks,  then  at  Winchester,  was  to  cross 
the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  and,  posting  his  forces  along 
the  Manassas  Railroad,  guard  the  approaches  to  Washing 
ton  when  McDowell  advanced  from  Fredericksburg  to  the 
aid  of  General  McClellan.  Thus  Richmond  would  be  half 
encircled  by  Federal  armies.  General  McClellan,  if  per 
mitted  by  the  Confederates  to  carry  out  his  plan  of  opera 
tions,  would  soon  be  in  command  of  about  two  hundred 
thousand  men,  and  with  this  force  it  was  anticipated  he 
would  certainly  be  able  to  capture  Richmond. 

Such  was  the  Federal  programme  of  the  war  in  Yir 
ginia.  It  promised  great  results,  and  ought,  it  would  seem, 
to  have  succeeded.  The  Confederate  forces  in  Yirginia 
did  not  number  in  all  one  hundred  thousand  men ;  and  it  is 
now  apparent  that,  without  the  able  strategy  of  Johnston, 
Lee,  and  Jackson,  General  McClellan  would  have  been  in 
possession  of  Richmond  before  the  summer. 


56  IN  FRONT  OF  RICHMOND. 

Prompt  action  was  thus  necessary  on  the  part  of  the 
sagacious  soldier  commanding  the  army  at  Richmond,  and 
directing  operations  throughout  the  theatre  of  action  in 
Virginia.  The  officer  in  question  was  General  Joseph  E. 
Johnston,  a  Yirginian  "by  birth,  who  had  first  held  General 
Patterson  in  check  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  then 
hastened  to  the  assistance  of  General  Beauregard  at  Ma- 
nassas,  where,  in  right  of  his  superior  rank,  he  took  com 
mand.  Before  the  enemy's  design  to  advance  up  the  Penin 
sula  had  been  developed,  Johnston  had  made  a  masterly 
retreat  from  Manassas.  Reappearing  with  his  force  of 
about  forty  thousand  men  on  the  Peninsula,  he  had  obsti 
nately  opposed  McClellan,  and  only  retired  when  he  was 
compelled  by  numbers  to  do  so,  with  the  resolution,  how 
ever,  of  fighting  a  decisive  battle  on  the  Chickahominy.  In 
face,  figure,  and  character,  General  Johnston  was  thoroughly 
the  soldier.  Above  the  medium  height,  with  an  erect  fig 
ure,  in  a  close-fitting  uniform  buttoned  to  the  chin  ;  with  a 
ruddy  face,  decorated  with  close-cut  gray  side- whiskers, 
mustache,  and  tuft  on  the  chin ;  reserved  in  manner,  brief 
of  speech,  without  impulses  of  any  description,  it  seemed, 
General  Johnston's  appearance  and  bearing  were  military 
to  stiffness ;  and  he  was  popularly  compared  to  "  a  game 
cock,"  ready  for  battle  at  any  moment.  As  a  soldier,  his 
reputation  was  deservedly  high;  to  unshrinking  personal 
courage  he  added  a  far-reaching  capacity  for  the  conduct  of 
great  operations.  Throughout  his  career  he  enjoyed  a  pro 
found  public  appreciation  of  his  abilities  as  a  commander, 
and  was  universally  respected  as  a  gentleman  and  a  pa 
triot. 

General  Johnston,  surveying  the  whole  field  in  Virginia, 


JOHNSTON  IS  WOUNDED.  57 

and  penetrating,  it  would  seem,  the  designs  of  the  enemy, 
had  hastened  to  direct  General  Jackson,  commanding  in  the 
Yalley,  to  begin  offensive  operations,  and,  by  threatening 
the  Federal  force  there — with  Washington  in  perspective — 
relieve  the  heavy  pressure  upon  the  main  arena.  Jackson 
carried  out  these  instructions  with  the  vigor  which  marked 
all  his  operations.  In  March  he  advanced  down  the  Yalley 
in  the  direction  of  Winchester,  and,  coming  upon  a  consider 
able  force  of  the  enemy  at  Kernstown,  made  a  vigorous  as 
sault  upon  them ;  a  heavy  engagement  ensued,  and,  though 
Jackson  was  defeated  and  compelled  to  retreat,  a  very  large 
Federal  force  was  retained  in  the  Yalley  to  protect  that 
important  region.  A  more  decisive  diversion  soon  followed. 
Jackson  advanced  in  May  upon  General  Banks,  then  at 
Strasburg,  drove  him  from  that  point  to  and  across  the 
Potomac ;  and  such  was  the  apprehension  felt  at  Washino1- 
ton,  that  President  Lincoln  ordered  General  McDowell, 
then  at  Fredericksburg  with  about  forty  thousand  men, 
to  send  twenty  thousand  across  the  mountains  to  Strasburg 
in  order  to  pursue  or  cut  off  Jackson. 

Thus  the  whole  Federal  programme  in  Yirginia  was 
thrown  into  confusion.  General  Banks,  after  the  fight  at 
Kernstown,  was  kept  in  the  Yalley.  After  Jackson's  second 
attack  upon  him,  when  General  Banks  was  driven  across 
the  Potomac  and  Washington  threatened,  General  McDow 
ell  was  directed  to  send  half  his  army  to  operate  against 
Jackson.  Thus  General  McClellan,  waiting  at  Eichmond 
for  McDowell  to  join  him,  did  not  move ;  with  a  portion  of 
his  army  on  one  side  of  the  stream,  and  the  remainder  on 

the  other  side,  he  remained  inactive,  hesitating  and  unwill- 
5 


58  IN  FRONT  OF  RICHMOND. 

ing,  as  any  good  soldier  would  have  been,  to  commence  the 
decisive  assault. 

His  indecision  was  "brought  to  an  end  by  General  John 
ston.  Discovering  that  the  force  in  his  front,  near  "  Seven 
Pines,"  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Chickahominy,  was 
only  a  portion  of  the  Federal  army,  General  Johnston  de 
termined  to  attack  it.  This  resolution  was  not  in  conse 
quence  of  the  freshet  in  the  Chickahominy,  as  has  been  sup 
posed,  prompting  Johnston  to  attack  while  the  Federal 
army  was  cut  in  two,  as  it  were.  His  resolution,  he  states, 
had  already  been  taken,  and  was,  with  or  without  reference 
to  the  rains,  that  of  a  good  soldier.  General  Johnston 
struck  at  General  McClellan  on  the  last  day  of  May,  just  at 
the  moment,  it  appears,  when  the  Federal  commander  de 
signed  commencing  his  last  advance  upon  the  city.  The 
battle  which  took  place  was  one  of  the  most  desperate  and 
bloody  of  the  war.  Both  sides  fought  with  obstinate  cour 
age,  and  neither  gained  a  decisive  advantage.  On  the  Con 
federate  right,  near  "  Seven  Pines,"  the  Federal  line  was 
broken  and  forced  back;  but,  on  the  left,  at  Fair  Oaks 
Station,  the  Confederates,  in  turn,  were  repulsed.  Night 
fell  upon  a  field  where  neither  side  could  claim  the  victory. 
The  most  that  could  be  claimed  by  the  Southerners  was  that 
McClellan  had  received  a  severe  check ;  and  they  sustained 
a  great  misfortune  in  the  wound  received  by  General  John 
ston.  He  was  struck  by  a  fragment  of  shell  while  superin 
tending  the  attack  at  Fair  Oaks,  and  the  nature  of  his 
wound  rendered  it  impossible  for  him  to  retain  command  of 
the  army.  He  therefore  retired  from  the  command,  and 
repaired  to  Eichmond,  where  he  remained  for  a  long  time  an 
invalid,  wholly  unable  to  continue  in  service  in  the  field. 


LEE  ASSIGNED  TO  THE  COMMAND.  59 

This  untoward  event  rendered  it  necessary  to  find  a  new 
commander  for  the  army  without  loss  of  time.     General 
Lee  had  returned  some  time  before  from  the  South,  and  to 
him  all  eyes  were  turned.     He  had  had  no  opportunity  to 
display  his  abilities  upon  a  conspicuous  theatre— the  sole 
command  he  had  been  intrusted  with,  that  in  trans- Alle- 
ghany  Virginia,  could  scarcely  be  called  a  real  command— 
and  he  owed  his  elevation  now  to  the  place  vacated  by 
General  Johnston,  rather  to  his  services  performed  in  the 
old  army  of  the  United  States,  than  to  any  thing  he  had 
effected  in  the  war  of  the  Confederacy.     The  confidence 
of  the  Yirginia  people  in  his  great   abilities  had  never 
wavered,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  Con 
federate  authorities  were  backward  in  conceding  his  merits 
as  a  soldier.     "Whatever  may  have  been  the  considerations 
leading  to  his  appointment,  he  was   assigned  on  the   3d 
day  of  June  to  the  command  of  the  army,  and  thus  the 
Yirginians  assembled  to  defend  the  capital  of  their  State 
found  themselves  under  the  command  of  the  most  illustri 
ous  of  their  own  countrymen. 


III. 

LEE    ASSIGNED    TO     THE    COMMAND-HIS    FAMILY 
AT    THE    WHITE    HOUSE. 

LEE  had  up  to  this  time  effected,  as  we  have  shown, 
almost  nothing  in  the  progress  of  the  war.  Intrusted  with 
no  command,  and  employed  only  in  organizing  the  forces, 
or  superintending  the  construction  of  defences,  he  had 
failed  to  achieve  any  of  those  successes  in  the  field  which 


CO  IN  FRONT  OF  RICHMOND. 

constitute  the  glory  of  the  soldier.  He  might  possess  the 
great  abilities  which  his  friends  and  admirers  claimed  for 
him,  but  he  was  yet  to  show  the  world  at  large  that  he 
did  really  possess  them. 

The  decisive  moment  had  now  arrived  which  was  to 
test  him.  He  was  placed  in  command  of  the  largest  and 
most  important  army  in  the  Confederacy,  and  to  him  was 
intrusted  the  defence  of  the  capital  not  only  of  Yirginia, 
but  of  the  South.  If  Richmond  were  to  fall,  the  Confed 
erate  Congress,  executive,  and  heads  of  departments,  would 
all  be  fugitives.  The  evacuation  of  Yirginia  might  or 
might  not  follow,  but,  in  the  very  commencement  of  the 
conflict,  the  enemy  would  achieve  an  immense  advantage. 
Recognition  by  the  European  powers  would  be  hopeless  in 
such  an  event,  and  the  wandering  and  fugitive  government 
of  the  Confederacy  would  excite  only  contempt. 

Such  were  the  circumstances  under  which  General  Lee 
assumed  command  of  the  "Army  of  Northern  Yirginia," 
as  it  was  soon  afterward  styled.  The  date  of  his  assign 
ment  to  duty  was  June  3,  1862 — three  days  after  General 
Johnston  had  retired  in  consequence  of  his  wound.  Thirty 
days  afterward  the  great  campaign  around  Richmond  had 
been  decided,  and  to  the  narrative  of  what  followed  the 
appointment  of  Lee  we  shall  at  once  proceed,  after  giving 
a  few  words  to  another  subject  connected  with  his  family. 

When  General  Lee  left  Washington  to  repair  to  Rich 
mond,  he  removed  the  ladies  of  his  family  from  Arlington 
to  the  "  White  House "  on  the  Pamunkey,  near  the  spot 
where  that  river  unites  with  the  Mattapony  to  form  the 
York  River.  This  estate,  like  the  Arlington  property,  had 
come  into  possession  of  General  Lee  through  his  wife,  and 


LEE  ASSIGNED  TO  THE  COMMAND.  61 

as  Arlington  was  exposed  to  the  enemy,  the  ladies  had 
taken  refuge  here,  with  the  hope  that  they  would  be  safe 
from  intrusion  or  danger.  The  result  was  unfortunate. 
The  "White  House  was  a  favorable  "  base  "  for  the  Federal 
army,  and  intelligence  one  day  reached  Mrs.  Lee  and  her 
family  that  the  enemy  were  approaching.  The  ladies 
therefore  hastened  from  the  place  to  a  point  of  greater 
safety,  and  before  her  departure  Mrs.  Lee  is  said  to  have 
affixed  to  the  door  a  paper  containing  the  following  words  : 

"  Northern  soldiers  who  profess  to  reverence  Washington,  forbear 
to  desecrate  the  home  of  his  first  married  life,  the  property  of  his 
wife,  now  owned  by  her  descendants. 

"A  GRAND-DAUGHTER  OF  MRS.  WASHINGTON." 

When  the  Federal  forces  took  possession  of  the  place,  a 
Northern  officer,  it  is  said,  wrote  beneath  this  : 

"  A  Northern  officer  has  protected  your  property,  in  sight  of  the 
enemy,  and  at  the  request  of  your  overseer." 

The  resolute  spirit  of  Mrs.  Lee  is  indicated  by  an  inci 
dent  which  followed.  She  took  refuge  with  her  daughters 
in  a  friend's  house  near  Richmond,  and,  when  a  Federal 
officer  was  sent  to  search  the  house,  handed  to  him  a  paper 
addressed  to  "  the  general  in  command,"  in  which  she 
wrote : 

"SiR:  I  have  patiently  and  humbly  submitted  to  the  search  of 
my  house,  by  men  under  your  command,  who  are  satisfied  'that  there 
is  nothing  here  which  they  want.  All  the  plate  and  other  valuables 
have  long  since  been  removed  to  Richmond,  and  are  now  beyond  the 
reach  of  any  Northern  marauders  who  may  wish  for  their  possession. 
"  WIFE  OF  ROBERT  LEE,  GENERAL  C.  S.  A." 


62  IN  FRONT   OF  RICHMOND. 

The  ladies  finally  repaired  for  safety  to  tlie  city  of  Kich- 
mond,  and  the  "White  House  was  burned  either  before  or 
when  General  McClellan  retreated.  The  place  was  not 
without  historic  interest,  as  the  scene  of  "Washington's  first 
interview  with  Martha  Custis,  who  afterward  became  his 
wife.  He  was  married  either  at  St.  Peter's  Church  near 
by,  or  in  the  house  which  originally  stood  on  the  site  of 
the  one  now  destroyed  by  the  Federal  forces.  Its  historic 
associations  thus  failed  to  protect  the  White  House,  and, 
like  Arlington,  it  fell  a  sacrifice  to  the  pitiless  hand  of  war. 

From  this  species  of  digression  we  come  back  to  the 
narrative  of  public  events,  and  the  history  of  the  great  series 
of  battles  which  were  to  make  the  banks  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy  historic  ground.  On  taking  command,  Lee  had 
assiduously  addressed  himself  to  the  task  of  increasing  the 
efficiency  of  the  army:  riding  incessantly  to  and  fro,  he 
had  inspected  with  his  own  eyes  the  condition  of  the 
troops ;  officers  of  the  commissary,  quartermaster,  and  ord 
nance  departments  were  held  to  a  strict  accountability;  and, 
in  a  short  time,  the  army  was  in  a  high  state  of  efficiency. 

"  What  was  the  amount  of  the  Confederate  force  under 
command  of  Lee  ? "  it  may  be  asked.  The  present  writer  is 
unable  to  state  this  number  with  any  thing  like  exactness. 
The  official  record,  if  in  existence,  is  not  accessible,  and 
the  matter  must  be  left  to  conjecture.  It  is  tolerably  cer 
tain,  however,  that,  even  after  the  arrival  of  Jackson,  the 
army  numbered  less  than  seventy-five  thousand.  Officers 
of  high  rank  and  character  state  the  whole  force  to  have 
been  sixty  or  seventy  thousand  only. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  Federal  army  was  larger 
than  the  Confederate;  but  this  was  comparatively  an  un- 


LEE  RESOLVES  TO  ATTACK.  63 

important  fact.     The  event  was  decided  rather  by  general 
ship  than  the  numbers  of  the  combatants 


IY 

LEE    EESOLVES    TO    ATTACK. 

GENERAL  LEE  assumed  command  of  the  army  on  the 
3d  of  June.  A  week  afterward,  Jackson  finished  the  great 
campaign  of  the  Valley,  by  defeating  Generals  Fremont 
and  Shields  at  Port  Republic. 

Such  had  been  the  important  services  performed  by  the 
famous  "  Stonewall  Jackson,"  who  was  to  become  the  "right 
arm  "  of  Lee  in  the  greater  campaigns  of  the  future.  Re 
treating,  after  the  defeat  of  General  Banks,  and  passing 
through  Strasburg,  just  as  Fremont  from  the  west,  and 
the  twenty  thousand  men  of  General  McDowell  from  the 
east,  rushed  to  intercept  him,  Jackson  had  sullenly  fallen 
back  up  the  Yalley,  with  all  his  captured  stores  and  pris 
oners,  and  at  Cross  Keys  and  Port  Republic  had  achieved 
a  complete  victory  over  his  two  adversaries.  Fremont  was 
checked  by  Ewell,  who  then  hastened  across  to  take  part 
in  the  attack  on  Shields.  The  result  was  a  Federal  defeat 
and  retreat  down  the  Yalley.  Jackson  was  free  to  move 
in  any  direction ;  and  his  army  could  unite  with  that  at 
Richmond  for  a  decisive  attack  upon  General  McClellan. 

The  attack  in  question  had  speedily  been  resolved  on 
by  Lee.  Any  further  advance  of  the  Federal  army  would 
bring  it  up  to  the  very  earthworks  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
city;  and,  unless  the  Confederate  authorities  proposed  to 


64:  IN  FRONT  OF  RICHMOND. 

undergo  a  siege,  it  was  necessary  to  check  the  further  ad 
vance  of  the  enemy  by  a  general  attack. 

How  to  attack  to  the  best  advantage  was  now  the 
question.  The  position  of  General  McOlellan's  army  has 
been  briefly  stated.  Advancing  up  the  Peninsula,  he  had 
reached  and  passed  the  Chickahominy,  and  was  in  sight  of 
Richmond.  To  this  stream,  the  natural  line  of  defence 
of  the  city  on  the  north  and  east,  numerous  roads  diverged 
from  the  capital,  including  the  York  River  Railroad,  of 
which  the  Federal  commander  made  such  excellent  use ; 
and  General  McClellan  had  thrown  his  left  wing  across 
the  stream,  advancing  to  a  point  on  the  railroad  four  or 
five  miles  from  the  city.  Here  he  had  erected  heavy  de 
fences  to  protect  that  wing  until  the  right  wing  crossed  in 
turn.  The  tangled  thickets  of  the  White-oak  Swamp,  on 
his  left  flank,  were  a  natural  defence  ;  but  he  had  added 
to  these  obstacles,  as  we  have  stated,  by  felling  trees,  and 
guarding  every  approach  by  redoubts.  In  these,  heavy 
artillery  kept  watch  against  an  approaching  enemy ;  and 
any  attempt  to  attack  from  that  quarter  seemed  certain  to 
result  in  repulse.  In  front,  toward  Seven  Pines,  the  chance 
of  success  was  equally  doubtful.  The  excellent  works  of 
the  Federal  commander  bristled  with  artillery,  and  wTere 
heavily  manned.  It  seemed  thus  absolutely  necessary  to 
discover  some  other  point  of  assault ;  and,  as  the  Federal 
right  beyond  the  Chickahominy  was  the  only  point  left,  it 
was  determined  to  attack,  if  possible,  in  that  quarter. 

An  important  question  was  first,  however,  to  be  decided, 
the  character  of  the  defences,  if  any,  on  General  McClelland 
right,  in  the  direction  of  Old  Church  and  Cold  Harbor.  A 
reconnoissance  in  force  was  necessary  to  acquire  this  in- 


STUART'S  "RIDE  AROUND   McCLELLAN."  (55 

formation,  and  General  Lee  accordingly  directed  General 
Stuart,  commanding  the  cavalry  of  the  army,  to  proceed 
with  a  portion  of  his  command  to  the  vicinity  of  Old  Church, 
in  the  Federal  rear,  and  gain  all  the  information  possible  of 
their  position  and  defences. 


Y. 

STUART'S    "RIDE    AROUND    MoCLELLAN." 

GENERAL  JAMES  E.  B.  STUART,  who  now  made  his  first 
prominent  appearance  upon  the  theatre  of  the  war,  was  a 
Virginian  by  birth,  and  not  yet  thirty  years  of  age.  Re 
signing  his  commission  of  lieutenant  in  the  United  States 
Cavalry  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  he  had  joined  Johnston 
in  the  Yalley,  and  impressed  that  officer  with  a  high  opin 
ion  of  his  abilities  as  a  cavalry  officer;  proceeded  thence 
to  Manassas,  where  he  charged  and  broke  a  company  of 
"  Zouave  "  infantry ;  protected  the  rear  of  the  army  when 
Johnston  retired  to  the  Rappahannock,  and  bore  an  active 
part  in  the  conflict  on  the  Peninsula.  In  person  he  was 
of  medium  height ;  his  frame  was  broad  and  powerful ;  he 
wore  a  heavy  brown  beard  flowing  upon  his  breast,  a  huge 
mustache  of  the  same  color,  the  ends  curling  upward ;  and 
the  blue  eyes,  flashing  beneath  a  "  piled-up  "  forehead,  had 
at  times  the  dazzling  brilliancy  attributed  to  the  eyes  of 
the  eagle.  Fond  of  movement,  adventure,  bright  colors, 
and  all  the  pomp  and  pageantry  of  war,  Stuart  had  entered 
on  the  struggle  with  ardor,  and  enjoyed  it  as  the  huntsman 
enjoys  the  chase.  Young,  ardent,  ambitious,  as  brave  as 
steel,  ready  with  j^st  or  laughter,  with  his  banjo-player 


66  IS  FRONT   OF  RICHMOND. 

following  hirn,  going  into  the  hottest  battles  humming  a 
song,  this  young  Virginian  was,  in  truth,  an  original  char 
acter,  and  impressed  powerfully  all  who  approached  him. 
One  who  knew  him  well  wrote:  "Every  thing  striking, 
brilliant,  and  picturesque,  seemed  to  centre  in  him.  The 
war  seemed  to  be  to  Stuart  a  splendid  and  exciting  game, 
in  which  his  blood  coursed  joyously,  and  his  immensely 
strong  physical  organization  found  an  arena  for  the  display 
of  all  its  faculties.  The  affluent  life  of  the  man  craved 
those  perils  and  hardships  which  flush  the  pulses  and  make 
the  heart  beat  fast.  He  swung  himself  into  the  saddle  at 
the  sound  of  the  bugle  as  the  hunter  springs  on  horseback ; 
and  at  such  moments  his  cheeks  glowed  and  his  huge  mus 
tache  curled  with  enjoyment.  vThe  romance  and  poetry  of 
the  hard  trade  of  arms  seemed  first  to  be  inaugurated  when 
this  joyous  cavalier,  with  his  floating  plume  and  splendid 
laughter,  appeared  upon  the  great  arena  of  the  war  in  Vir 
ginia." ,' Precise  people  shook  their  heads,  and  called  him 
frivolous,  undervaluing  his  great  ability.  Those  best  capa 
ble  of  judging  him  were  of  a  different  opinion.  Johnston 
wrote  to  him  from  the  west :  "  How  can  I  eat  or  sleep  in 
peace  without  you  upon  the  outpost  ? "  Jackson  said,  when 
9  he  fell  at  Chancellorsville :  "  Go  back  to  General  Stuart, 
and  tell  him  to  act  upon  his  own  judgment,  and  do  what  he 
thinks  best,  I  have  implicit  confidence  in  him."  Lee  said, 
when  he  was  killed  at  Yellow  Tavern:  "I  can  scarcely 
think  of  him  without  weeping."  And  the  brave  General 
Sedgwick,  of  the  United  States  Army,  said :  "  Stuart  is  the 
best  cavalry  officer  ever  foaled  in  Korth  America  !  " 

In  the  summer  of  1862,  when  we  present  him  to  the 
reader,  Stuart  had  as  yet  achieved  little  fame  in  his  pro- 


STUART'S  "RIDE  AROUND  McCLELLAN."  67 

fession,  but  lie  was  burning  to  distinguish  himself.  He 
responded  ardently,  therefore,  to  the  order  of  Lee,  and  was 
soon  ready  with  a  picked  force  of  about  fifteen  hundred 
cavalry,  under  some  of  his  best  officers.  Among  them  were 
Colonels  "William  H.  F.  Lee  and  Fitz-Hugh  Lee — the  first 
a  son  of  General  Lee,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  and  an 
officer  of  distinction  afterward ;  the  second,  a  son  of  Smith 
Lee,  brother  of  the  general,  and  famous  subsequently  in  the 
most  brilliant  scenes  of  the  war  as  the  gay  and  gallant 
"General  Fitz  Lee,"  of  the  cavalry.  With  his  picked 
force,  officered  by  the  two  Lees,  and  other  excellent  lieu 
tenants,  Stuart  set  out  on  his  adventurous  expedition  to 
Old  Church.  He  effected  more  than  he  anticipated,  and 
performed  a  daring  feat  of  arms  in  addition.  Driving  the 
outposts  from  Hanover  Court-House,  he  charged  and  broke 
a  force  of  Federal  cavalry  near  Old  Church ;  pushed  on  to 
the  York  River  Railroad,  which  he  crossed,  burning  or 
capturing  all  Federal  stores  met  with,  including  enormous 
wagon -camps;  and  then,  finding  the  way  back  barred 
against  him,  and  the  Federal  army  on  the  alert,  he  con 
tinued  his  march  with  rapidity,  passed  entirely  around 
General  McClellan's  army,  and,  building  a  bridge  over  the 
Chickahominy,  safely  reentered  the  Confederate  lines  just 
as  a  large  force  made  its  appearance  in  his  rear.  The 
temporary  bridge  was  destroyed,  however,  and  Stuart 
hastened  to  report  to  his  superiors.  His  information  was 
important.  General  McClellan's  right  and  rear  were  un 
protected  by  works  of  any  strength.  If  the  Confederate 
general  desired  to  attack  in  that  quarter,  there  was  nothing 
to  prevent. 

The  results  of  Stuart's  famous  "  ride  around  McClellan," 


68  IN  FRONT   OF  RICHMOND. 

as  the  people  called  it,  determined  General  Lee  to  make 
the  attack  on  the  north  bank  of  the  stream,  if  he  had  not 
already  so  decided.  It  was  necessary  now  to  bring  Jack 
son's  forces  from  the  Yalley  without  delay,  and  almost 
equally  important  to  mask  the  movement  from  General 
McClellan.  To  this  end  a  very  simple  ruse  was  adopted. 
On  the  llth  of  June,  "Whiting's  division  was  embarked  on 
the  cars  of  the  Danville  Railroad  at  Richmond,  and  moved 
across  the  river  to  a  point  near  Belle  Isle,  where  at  that 
moment  a  considerable  number  of  Federal  prisoners  were 
about  to  be  released  and  sent  down  James  River.  Here 
the  train,  loaded  with  Confederate  troops,  remained  for 
some  time,  and  the  secret  was  discovered  by  the  released 
prisoners.  General  Lee  was  reenforcing  Jackson,  in  order 
that  the  latter  might  march  on  Washington.  Such  was 
the  report  carried  to  General  McClellan,  and  it  seems  to 
have  really  deceived  him.*  "Whiting's  division  reached 
Lynchburg,  and  was  thence  moved  by  railway  to  Char- 
lottesville — Jackson  marched  and  countermarched  with  an 
elaborate  pretence  of  advancing  down  the  Yalley — at  last, 
one  morning,  the  astute  Confederate,  who  kept  his  own 
counsels,  had  disappeared ;  he  was  marching  rapidly  to  join 
Lee  on  the  Chickahominy.  ]STot  even  his  own  soldiers 
knew  what  direction  they  were  taking.  They  were  for 
bidden  by  general  order  to  inquire  even  the  names  of  the 
towns  they  passed  through;  directed  to  reply  "I  don't 
know  "  to  every  question ;  and  it  is  said  that  when  Jackson 
demanded  the  name  and  regiment  of  a  soldier  robbing  a 


*  "I  have  no  doubt  Jackson  has  been  reenforced  from  here." — General 
McClellan  to  President  Lincoln,  June  20th. 


STUART'S   "RIDE  AROUND  McCLELLAN."  flg 

cherry-tree,  he  could  extract  from  the  man  no  reply  but  "1 
don't  know." 

Jackson  advanced  with  rapidity,  and,  on  the  25th  of 
June,  was  near  Ashland.  Here  he  left  his  forces,  and  rode 
on  rapidly  to  Richmond.  Passing  unrecognized  through 
the  streets,  after  night,  he  went  on  to  General  Lee's  head 
quarters,  at  a  house  on  the  "  Nine-mile  road,"  leading  from 
the  New  Bridge  road  toward  Fair  Oaks  Station  ,  and  here 
took  place  the  first  interview,  since  the  commencement  of 
the  war,  between  Lee  and  Jackson. 

What  each  thought  of  the  other  will  be  shown  in  the 
course  of  this  narrative.  "We  shall  proceed  now  with  the 
history  of  the  great  series  of  battles  for  which  Jackson's 
appearance  was  the  signal. 


PART  HI. 
ON    THE    CHICKAHOMINY. 


I. 

THE    TWO    AEMIES. 

THE  Chickahominy,  whose  banks  were  now  to  be  the 
scene  of  a  bitter  and  determined  conflict  between  the  great 
adversaries,  is  a  sluggish  and  winding  stream,  which,  rising 
above  Richmond,  describes  a  curve  around  it,  and  empties 
its  waters  into  the  James,  far  below  the  city.  Its  banks  are 
swampy,  and  thickly  clothed  with  forest  or  underwood. 
From  the  nature  of  these  banks,  which  scarcely  rise  in 
many  places  above  the  level  of  the  water,  the  least  freshet 
produces  an  overflow,  and  the  stream,  generally  narrow  and 
insignificant,  becomes  a  sort  of  lake,  covering  the  low 
grounds  to  the  bases  of  the  wooded  bluffs  extending  upon 
each  side.  Numerous  bridges  cross  the  stream,  from  Bot 
tom's  Bridge,  below  the  York  River  Railroad,  to  Meadow 
Bridge,  north  of  the  city.  Of  these,  the  Mechanicsville 
Bridge,  about  four  miles  from  the  city,  and  the  "New  Bridge, 
about  nine  miles,  were  points  of  the  greatest  importance. 

General  McClellan's  position  has  been  repeatedly  referred 
to.  He  had  crossed  a  portion  of  his  army  east  of  Rich- 


THE  TWO  ARMIES.  71 

mond,  and  advanced  to  within  four  or  five  miles  of  the  city. 
The  remainder,  meanwhile,  lay  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
stream,  and  swept  round,  in  a  sort  of  crescent,  to  the  vicin 
ity  of  Mechanicsville,  where  it  had  been  anticipated  General 
McDowell  would  unite  with  it,  thereby  covering  its  right 
flank,  and  protecting  the  communications  with  the  Federal 
base  at  the  White  House.  That  this  disposition  of  the  Fed 
eral  troops  was  faulty,  in  face  of  adversaries  like  Johnston 
and  Lee,  there  could  be  no  doubt.  But  General  McClellan 
was  the  victim,  it  seems,  of  the  shifting  and  vacillating 
policy  of  the  authorities  at  Washington.  With  the  arrival 
of  the  forty  thousand  men  under  McDowell,  his  position 
would  have  been  a  safe  one.  General  McDowell  did  not 
arrive ;  and  this  unprotected  right  flank — left  unprotected 
from  the  fact  that  McDowell's  presence  was  counted  on — 
became  the  point  of  the  Confederate  attack. 

The  amount  of  blame,  if  any,  justly  attributable  to 
General  McClellan,  first  for  his  inactivity,  and  then  for  his 
defeat  by  Lee,  cannot  be  referred  to  here,  save  in  a  few 
brief  sentences.  A  sort  of  feud  seems  to  have  arisen  be 
tween  himself  and  General  Halleck,  the  commander-in- 
chief,  stationed  at  Washington ;  and  General  Halleck  then 
and  afterward  appears  to  have  regarded  McClellan  as  a 
soldier  without  decision  or  broad  generalship.  And  yet 
McClellan  does  not  seem  to  have  merited  the  censure  he 
received.  He  called  persistently  for  reinforcements,  remain 
ing  inactive  meanwhile,  because  he  estimated  the  Confeder 
ate  army  before  him  at  two  hundred  thousand  men,  and  was 
unwilling  to  assail  this  force,  under  command  of  soldiers 
like  Johnston  and  Lee,  until  his  own  force  seemed  adequate 
to  the  undertaking.  Another  consideration  was,  the  Con- 


72  ON  THE  CHICKAHOMINY. 

federate  position  in  front  of  the  powerful  earthworks  of  the 
city.  These  works  would  double  the  Confederate  strength 
in  case  of  battle  in  front  of  them ;  and,  believing  himself 
already  outnumbered,  the  Federal  commander  was  naturally 
loath  to  deliver  battle  until  reenforced.  The  faulty  disposi 
tion  of  his  army,  divided  by  a  stream  crossed  by  few  bridges, 
has  been  accounted  for  in  like  manner — he  so  disposed  the 
troops,  expecting  reinforcements.  But  Jackson's  energy 
delayed  these.  Washington  was  in  danger,  it  was  supposed, 
and  General  McDowell  did  not  come.  It  thus  happened 
that  General  McClellan  awaited  attack  instead  of  making 
it,  and  that  his  army  was  so  posted  as  to  expose  him  to  the 
greatest  peril. 

A  last  point  is  to  be  noted  in  vindication  of  this  able 
soldier.  Finding,  at  the  very  last  moment,  that  he  could 
expect  no  further  assistance  from  the  President  or  General 
Halleck,  he  resolved  promptly  to  withdraw  his  exposed 
right  wing  and  change  his  base  of  operations  to  James  River, 
where  at  least  his  communications  would  be  safe.  This,  it 
seems,  had  been  determined  upon  just  before  the  Confeder 
ate  attack  ;  or,  if  he  had  not  then  decided,  General  McClel- 
lan  soon  determined  upon  that  plan. 

To  pass  now  to  the  Confederate  side,  where  all  was  ready 
for  the  great  movement.  General  Lee's  army  lay  in  front 
of  Richmond,  exactly  corresponding  with  the  front  of  Gen 
eral  McClellan.  The  divisions  of  Magruder  and  Huger, 
supported  by  those  of  Longstreet  and  D.  H.  Hill,  were  op 
posite  McClellan's  left,  on  the  Williamsburg  and  York  Eiver 
roads,  directly  east  of  the  city.  From  Magruder's  left,  ex 
tended  the  division  of  General  A.  P.  Hill,  reaching  thence 
up  the  river  toward  Mechanicsville ;  and  a  brigade,  under 


THE  TWO  ARMIES.  73 

General  Branch  lay  on  Hill's  left  near  the  point  where  the 
Brook  Turnpike  crosses  the  Chickahominy  north  of  Rich 
mond.  The  approaches  from  the  east,  northeast,  and  north, 
were  thus  carefully  guarded.  As  the  Confederates  held 
the  interior  line,  the  whole  force  could  be  rapidly  concen 
trated,  and  was  thoroughly  in  hand,  both  for  offensive  or  de 
fensive  movements. 

The  army  thus  held  in  Lee's  grasp,  and  about  to  assail 
its  great  Federal  adversary,  was  composed  of  the  best  por 
tion  of  the  Southern  population.  The  rank  and  file  was 
largely  made  up  of  men  of  education  and  high  social  posi 
tion.  And  this  resulted  from  the  character  of  the  struggle. 
The  war  was  a  war  of  invasion  on  the  part  of  the  North  ; 
and  the  ardent  and  high-spirited  youth  of  the  entire  South 
threw  themselves  into  it  with  enthusiasm.  The  heirs  of 
ancient  families  and  great  wealth  served  as  privates.  Per 
sonal  pride,  love  of  country,  indignation  at  the  thought  that 
a  hostile  section  had  sent  an  army  to  reduce  thera  to  sub 
mission,  combined  to  draw  into  the  Confederate  ranks  the 
flower  of  the  Southern  youth,  and  all  the  best  fighting  ma 
terial.  Deficient  in  discipline,  and  "  hard  to  manage,"  this 
force  was  yet  of  the  most  efficient  character.  It  could  be 
counted  on  for  hard  work,  and  especially  for  offensive  opera 
tions.  And  the  officers  placed  over  it  shared  its  character. 

Among  these,  General  A.  P.  Hill,  a  Virginian  by  birth, 
was  soon  to  be  conspicuous  as  commander  of  the  "  Light 
Division,"  and  representative  of  the  spirit  and  dash  and  en 
thusiasm  of  the  army.  Under  forty  years  of  age,  with  a 
slender  figure,  a  heavily-bearded  face,  dark  eyes,  a  composed 
and  unassuming  bearing,  characterized  when  off  duty  by  a 

quiet  cordiality,  he  was  personally  popular  with  all  who 
6 


74  ON  THE   CHICKAHOMINY. 

approached  him,  and  greatly  beloved,  both  as  man  and  com 
mander.  His  chief  merit  as  a  soldier  was  his  dash  and  im 
petus  in  the  charge.  A  braver  heart  never  beat  in  human 
breast ;  throughout  the  war  he  retained  the  respect  and  ad 
miration  of  the  army  and  the  country ;  and  a  strange  fact  is 
relation  to  this  eminent  soldier  is,  that  his  name  was  uttered 
by  both  Jackson  and  Lee  as  they  expired. 

Associated  with  him  in  the  battles  of  the  Chickahominy, 
and  to  the  end,  was  the  able  and  resolute  Longstreet — an 
officer  of  low  and  powerful  stature,  with  a  heavy,  brown 
beard  reaching  to  his  breast,  a  manner  marked  by  unalter 
able  composure,  and  a  countenance  whose  expression  of 
phlegmatic  tranquillity  never  varied  in  the  hottest  hours  of 
battle.  Longstreet  was  as  famous  for  his  bull-dog  obstinacy, 
as  Hill  for  his  dash  and  enthusiasm.  General  Lee  styled 
him  his  "  old  war-horse,"  and  depended  upon  him,  as  will 
be  seen,  in  some  of  the  most  critical  operations  of  the  war. 

Of  the  young  and  ardent  Yirginian,  General  Magruder, 
the  brave  and  resolute  North-Carolinian,  D.  H.  Hill,  and 
other  officers  who  subsequently  acquired  great  reputations 
in  the  army,  we  have  no  space  at  present  to  speak.  All 
were  to  cooperate  in  the  assault  on  General  McClellan,  and 
do  their  part. 

On  the  night  of  the  25th  of  June,  all  was  ready  for  the 
important  movement,  and  the  troops  rested  on  their  arms, 
ready  for  the  coming  battle. 


LEE'S  PLAN  OF  ASSAULT.  75 

II. 
LEE'S   PLAN    OF    ASSAULT. 

GENERAL  LEE  had  been  hitherto  regarded  as  a  soldier  of 
too  great  caution,  but  his  plan  for  the  assault  on  General 
McClellan  indicated  the  possession  of  a  nerve  approaching 
audacity. 

Fully  comprehending  his  enemy's  strength  and  position, 
and  aware  that  a  large  portion  of  the  Federal  army  had 
crossed  the  Chickahominy,  and  was  directly  in  his  front,  he 
had  resolved  to  pass  to  the  north  bank  of  the  stream  with 
the  bulk  of  his  force,  leaving  only  about  twenty-five  thou 
sand  men  to  protect  the  city,  and  deliver  battle  where  defeat 
would  prove  ruinous.  This  plan  indicated  nothing  less  than 
audacity,  as  we  have  already  said ;  but,  like  the  audacity  of 
the  flank  movement  at  Chancellorsville  afterward,  and  the 
daring  march,  in  disregard  of  General  Hooker,  to  Pennsyl 
vania  in  1864,  it  was  founded  on  profound  military  insight, 
and  indicated  the  qualities  of  a  great  soldier. 

Lee's  design  was  to  attack  the  Federal  right  wing  with  a 
part  of  his  force,  while  Jackson,  advancing  still  farther  to 
the  left,  came  in  on  their  communications  with  the  White 
House,  and  assailed  them  on  their  right  and  rear.  Mean 
while  Richmond  was  to  be  protected  by  General  Magruder 
with  his  twenty-five  thousand  men,  on  the  south  bank ;  if 
McClellan  fell  back  down  the  Peninsula,  this  force  was  to 
cross  and  unite  with  the  rest ;  thus  the  Federal  army  would 
be  driven  from  all  its  positions,  and  the  fate  of  the  whole 
campaign  against  Richmond  would  be  decided. 

Lee's  general  order  directing  the  movement  of  the  troops 


76  ON  THE   CHICKAHOMINY. 

is  here  given.  It  possesses  interest  as  a  clear  and  detailed 
statement  of  his  intended  operations;  and  it  will  be  seen  that 
what  was  resolved  on  by  the  commander  in  his  tent,  his  able 
subordinates  translated  detail  by  detail,  with  unimportant 
modifications,  into  action,  under  his  eyes  in  the  field : 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  oy  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 
June  24,  1862.      j 

GENERAL  ORDEKS  No.  75. 

I.  General  Jackson's  command  will  proceed  to-morrow  from  Ash 
land  toward  the  Slash  Church,  and  encamp  at  some  convenient  point 
west  of  the  Central  Railroad.  Branch's  brigade,  of  A.  P.  Hill's  divis 
ion,  will  also,  to-morrow  evening,  take  position  on  the  Chickahominy, 
near  Half  Sink.  At  three  o'clock  Thursday  morning,  26th  instant, 
General  Jackson  will  advance  on  the  road  leading  to  Pale  Green 
Church,  communicating  his  march  to  General  Branch,  who  will  imme 
diately  cross  the  Chickahominy,  and  take  the  road  leading  to  Mechan- 
icsville.  As  soon  as  the  movements  of  these  columns  are  discovered, 
General  A.  P.  Hill,  with  the  rest  of  his  division,  will  cross  the  Chick 
ahominy  near  Meadow  Bridge,  and  move  direct  upon  Mechanicsville. 
To  aid  his  advance,  the  heavy  batteries  on  the  Chickahominy  will  at 
the  proper  time  open  upon  the  batteries  at  Mechanicsville.  The  ene 
my  being  driven  from  Mechanicsville,  and  the  passage  across  the  bridge 
opened,  General  Longstreet,  with  his  division  and  that  of  General  D. 
H.  Hill,  will  cross  the  Chickahominy  at  or  near  that  point — General 
D.  H.  Hill  moving  to  the  support  of  General  Jackson,  and  General 
Longstreet  supporting  General  A.  P.  Hill — the  four  divisions  keeping 
in  communication  with  each  other,  and  moving  in  echelon  on  separate 
roads,  if  practicable  ;  the  left  division  in  advance,  with  skirmishers  and 
gharp-shooters  extending  in  their  front,  will  sweep  down  the  Chicka 
hominy  and  endeavor  to  drive  the  enemy  from  his  position  above  New 
Bridge ;  General  Jackson,  bearing  well  to  his  left,  turning  Beaver  Dam 
Creek,  and  taking  the  direction  toward  Cold  Harbor.  They  will  then 
press  forward  toward  York  River  Railroad,  closing  upon  the  enemy's 
rear  and  forcing  him  down  the  Chickahominy.  Any  advance  of  the 


LEE'S  PLAN  OF  ASSAULT.  77 

enemy  toward  Richmond  will  be  prevented  by  vigorously  following 
his  rear,  and  crippling  and  arresting  his  progress. 

II.  The  divisions  under  Generals  Iluger  and  Magruder  will  hold 
their  positions  in  front  of  the  enemy  against  attack,  and  make  such 
demonstrations,  Thursday,  as  to  discover  his  operations.     Should  op 
portunity  offer,  the  feint  will  be  converted  into  a  real  attack ;  and, 
should  an  abandonment  of  his  intrenchments  by  the  enemy  be  dis 
covered,  he  will  be  closely  pursued. 

III.  The  Third  Virginia  cavalry  will  observe  the  Charles  City  road. 
The  Fifth  Virginia,  the  First  North  Carolina,  and  the  Hampton  Le 
gion  cavalry  will  observe  the  Darbytown,  Varina,  and  Osborne  roads. 
Should  a  movement  of  the  enemy,  down  the  Chickahominy,  be  discov 
ered,  they  will  close  upon  his  flank,  and  endeavor  to  arrest  his  march. 

IV.  General  Stuart,  with  the  First,  Fourth,  and  Ninth  Virginia 
cavalry,  the  cavalry  of  Cobb's  Legion,  and  the  Jeff  Davis  Legion,  will 
cross  the  Chickahominy,  to-morrow,  and  take  position  to  the  left  of 
General  Jackson's  line  of  march.     The  main  body  will  be  held  in  re 
serve,  with  scouts  well  extended  to  the  front  and  left.     General  Stuart 
will  keep  General  Jackson  informed  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy  on 
his  left,  and  will  cooperate  with  him  in  his  advance.     The  Sixteenth 
Virginia  cavalry,  Colonel  Davis,  will  remain  on  the  Nine-mile  road. 

V.  General  Ransom's  brigade,  of  General  Holmes's  command,  will 
be  placed  in  reserve  on  the  Williamsburg  road,  by  General  Huger,  to 
whom  he  will  report  for  orders. 

VI.  Commanders  of  divisions  will  cause  their  commands  to  be  pro 
vided  with  three  days'  cooked  rations.     The  necessary  ambulances  and 
ordinance-trains  will  be  ready  to  accompany  the  divisions,  and  receive 
orders  from  their  respective  commanders.     Officers  in  charge  of  all 
trains  will  invariably  remain  with  them.    Batteries  and  wagons  will 
keep  on  the  right  of  the  road.    The  Chief-Engineer,  Major  Stevens, 
will  assign  engineer  officers  to  each  division,  whose  duty  it  will  be  to 
make  provision  for  overcoming  all  difficulties  to  the  progress  of  the 
troops.    The  staff-departments  will  give  the  necessary  instructions  to 
facilitate  the  movements  herein  directed. 

By  command  of  General  LEE  :        R.  H.  CHILTON,  A.  A.  General 


78  ON  THE  CHICKAHOMINY. 

This  order  speaks  for  itself,  and  indicates  Lee's  plan  of 
battle  in  all  its  details.  Further  comment  is  unnecessary ; 
and  we  proceed  to  narrate  the  events  which  followed.  In 
doing  so,  we  shall  strive  to  present  a  clear  and  intelligible 
account  of  what  occurred,  rather  than  to  indulge  in  the 
warlike  splendors  of  style  which  characterized  the  "  army 
correspondents  "  of  the  journals  during  the  war.  Such  a 
treatment  of  the  subject  is  left  to  others,  who  write  under 
the  influence  of  partisan  afflatus,  rather  than  with  the  judi 
cious  moderation  of  the  historian.  Nor  are  battles  them 
selves  the  subjects  of  greatest  interest  to  the  thoughtful 
student.  The  combinations  devised  by  great  commanders 
are  of  more  interest  than  the  actual  struggles.  We  have 
therefore  dwelt  at  greater  length  upon  the  plans  of  Generals 
Lee  and  McClellan  than  we  shall  dwell  upon  the  actual 
fighting  of  their  armies. 


III. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  CHICK AHOMINY. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  June,  1862,  all  was 
ready  for  the  great  encounter  of  arms  between  the  Confed 
erates  and  the  Federal  forces  on  the  Chickahominy.  Gen 
eral  Jackson  had  been  delayed  on  his  march  from  the  moun 
tains,  and  had  not  yet  arrived ;  but  it  was  known  that  he 
was  near,  and  would  soon  make  his  appearance ;  and,  in  the 
afternoon,  General  Lee  accordingly  directed  that  the  move 
ment  should  commence.  At  the  word,  General  A.  P.  Hill 
moved  from  his  camps  to  Meadow  Bridge,  north  of  Rich 
mond  ;  crossed  the  Chickahominy  there,  and  moved  rapidly 


THE  BATTLE   OF  THE   CHICKAHOMINY.  79 

on  Mechanicsville,  where  a  small  Federal  force,  behind  in- 
trenchments,  guarded  the  head  of  the  bridge.  This  force 
was  not  a  serious  obstacle,  and  Hill  soon  disposed  of  it.  He 
attacked  the  Federal  works,  stormed  them  after  a  brief 
struggle,  and  drove  the  force  which  had  occupied  them  back 
toward  Beaver  Dam  Creek,  below.  The  Mechanicsville 
bridge  was  thus  cleared ;  and,  in  compliance  with  his  orders 
from  Lee,  General  Longstreet  hastened  to  throw  his  division 
across.  Hill  had  meanwhile  pressed  forward  on  the  track 
of  the  retreating  enemy,  and,  a  mile  or  two  below,  found 
himself  in  front  of  a  much  more  serious  obstruction  than 
that  encountered  at  the  bridge,  namely,  the  formidable  posi 
tion  held  by  the  enemy  on  Beaver  Dam  Creek. 

The  ground  here  is  of  a  peculiar  character,  and  ad 
mirably  adapted  for  a  defensive  position  against  an  enemy 
advancing  from  above.  On  the  opposite  side  of  a  narrow 
valley,  through  which  runs  Beaver  Dam  Creek,  rises  a  bold, 
almost  precipitous,  bluff,  and  the  road  which  the  Confeder 
ates  were  compelled  to  take  bends  abruptly  to  the  right 
when  near  the  stream,  thus  exposing  the  flank  of  the  assault 
ing  party  to  a  fire  from  the  bluff.  As  Hill's  column  pushed 
forward  to  attack  this  position,  it  was  met  by  a  determined 
fire  of  artillery  and  small-arms  from  the  crest  beyond  the 
stream,  where  a  large  force  of  riflemen,  in  pits,  were  posted, 
with  infantry  supports.  Before  this  artillery-fire,  raking  his 
flanks  and  doing  heavy  execution,  Hill  was  compelled  to 
fall  back.  It  was  impossible  to  cross  the  stream  in  face  of 
the  fusillade  and  cannon.  The  attack  ended  after  dark  with 
the  withdrawal  of  the  Confederates ;  but  at  dawn  Hill  re 
sumed  the  struggle,  attempting  to  cross  at  another  point, 
lower  down  the  stream.  This  attempt  was  in  progress 


80  ON  THE   CHICKAHOMINY. 

when  the  Federal  troops  were  seen  rapidly  falling  back  from 
their  strong  position ;  and  intelligence  soon  came  that  this 
was  in  consequence  of  the  arrival  of  Jackson,  who  had 
passed  around  the  Federal  right  flank  above,  and  forced 
them  to  retire  toward  the  main  body  of  the  Federal  army 
below. 

~No  time  was  now  lost.  The  memorable  27th  of  June 
had  dawned  clear  and  cloudless,  and  the  brilliant  sunshine 
gave  promise  of  a  day  on  which  no  interference  of  the  ele 
ments  would  check  the  bloody  work  to  be  performed.  Hill 
advanced  steadily  on  the  track  of  the  retiring  Federal 
forces,  who  had  left  evidences  of  their  precipitate  retreat  all 
along  the  road,  and,  about  noon,  came  in  front  of  the  very 
powerful  position  of  the  main  body  of  the  enemy,  near 
Cold  Harbor. 

General  McClellan  had  drawn  up  his  forces  on  a  ridge 
along  the  southern  bank  of  Powhite  Creek,  a  small  water 
course  which,  flowing  from  the  northeast,  empties  below 
New  Bridge  into  the  Chickahominy.  His  left,  nearest  the 
Chickahominy,  was  protected  by  a  deep  ravine  in  front, 
which  he  had  filled  with  sharp-shooters  ;  and  his  right  rested 
upon  elevated  ground,  near  the  locality  known  as  Maghee's 
House.  In  front,  the  whole  line  of  battle,  which  described 
a  curve  backward  to  cover  the  bridges  in  rear,  was  protected 
by  difficult  approaches.  The  ground  was  either  swampy,  or 
covered  with  tangled  undergrowth,  or  both.  The  ridge  held 
by  the  Federal  forces  had  been  hastily  fortified  by  breast 
works  of  felled  trees  and  earth,  behind  which  the  long  lines 
of  infantry,  supported  by  numerous  artillery,  awaited  the 
attack. 

The  amount  of  the  Federal  force  has  been  variously 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  CHICKAHOMINY.  81 

stated.  The  impression  of  the  Confederates  differed  from 
the  subsequent  statements  of  Federal  writers.  "  The  prin 
cipal  part  of  the  Federal  army,"  says  General  Lee,  in  his 
report,  "  was  now  on  the  north  side  of  the  Chickahominy." 
The  force  has  been  placed  by  Northern  writers  at  only 
thirty,  or  at  most  thirty-five  thousand.  If  this  was  the 
whole  number  of  troops  engaged,  from  first  to  last,  in  the 
battle,  the  fact  is  highly  creditable  to  the  Federal  arms,  as 
the  struggle  was  long  doubtful.  No  doubt  the  exact  truth 
will  some  day  be  put  upon  record,  and  justice  will  be  done 
to  both  the  adversaries. 

The  Federal  force  was  commanded  by  the  brave  and 
able  General  Fitz- John  Porter,  with  General  Morell  com 
manding  his  right,  General  Sykes  his  left,  and  General 
McCall  forming  a  second  line.  Slocum's  division,  and  the 
brigades  of  Generals  French  and  Meagher,  afterward  re- 
enforced  Porter,  who  now  prepared,  with  great  coolness,  for 
the  Confederate  attack. 

The  moment  had  come.  A.  P.  Hill,  pressing  forward 
rapidly,  with  Longstreet's  division  on  the  right,  reached 
Cold  Harbor,  in  front  of  the  Federal  centre,  about  noon. 
Hill  immediately  attacked,  and  an  engagement  of  the  most 
obstinate  character  ensued.  General  Lee,  accompanied  by 
General  Longstreet,  had  ridden  from  his  headquarters,  on 
the  Nine-mile  road,  to  the  scene  of  action,  and  now  wit 
nessed  in  person  the  fighting  of  the  troops,  who  charged 
under  his  eye,  closing  in  in  a  nearly  hand-to-hand  conflict 
with  the  enemy.  This  was,  no  doubt,  the  first  occasion  on 
which  a  considerable  portion  of  the  men  had  seen  him — 
certainly  in  battle — and  that  air  of  supreme  calmness  which 
always  characterized  him  in  action  must  have  made  a  deep 


82  ON  THE   CHICKAHOMINY. 

impression  upon  them.  He  was  clad  simply,  and  wore 
scarcely  any  badges  of  rank.  A  felt  hat  drooped  low  over 
the  broad  forehead,  and  the  eyes  beneath  were  calm  and 
unclouded.  Add  a  voice  of  measured  calmness,  the  air  of 
immovable  composure  which  marked  the  erect  military  fig 
ure,  evidently  at  home  in  the  saddle,  and  the  reader  will 
have  a  correct  conception  of  General  Lee's  personal  appear 
ance  in  the  first  of  the  great  battles  of  his  career. 

Hill  attacked  with  that  dash  and  obstinacy  which  from 
this  time  forward  characterized  him,  but  succeeded  in  mak 
ing  no  impression  on  the  Federal  line.  In  every  assault  he 
was  repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  The  Federal  artillery,  which 
was  handled  with  skill  and  coolness,  did  great  execution 
upon  his  column,  as  it  rushed  forward,  and  the  infantry  be 
hind  their  works  stood  firm  in  spite  of  the  most  determined 
efforts  to  drive  them  from  the  ridge.  Three  of  Hill's  regi 
ments  reached  the  crest,  and  fought  hand  to  hand  over  the 
breastworks,  but  they  were  speedily  repulsed  and  driven 
from  the  crest,  and,  after  two  hours'  hard  fighting,  Hill 
found  that  he  had  lost  heavily  and  effected  nothing. 

It  was  now  past  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  Gen^ 
eral  Lee  listened  with  anxiety  for  the  sound  of  guns  from 
the  left,  which  would  herald  the  approach  of  General  Jack 
son.  Nothing  was  heard  from  that  quarter,  however,  and 
affairs  were  growing  critical.  The  Confederate  attack  had 
been  repulsed — the  Federal  position  seemed  impregnable — 
and  "  it  became  apparent,"  says  General  Lee,  "  that  the 
enemy  were  gradually  gaining  ground."  Under  these  cir 
cumstances,  General  McClellan  might  adopt  either  one  of 
the  two  courses  both  alike  dangerous  to  the  Confederates. 
He  might  cross  a  heavy  force  to  the  assistance  of  General 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  CHICKAHOMINY.  33 

Porter,  thus  enabling  that  officer  to  assume  the  offensive  ; 
or,  finding  Lee  thus  checked,  he  might  advance  on  Magru- 
der,  crush  the  small  force  under  him,  and  seize  on  Rich 
mond,  which  would  be  at  his  mercy.  It  was  thus  necessary 
to  act  without  delay,  while  awaiting  the  appearance  of  Jack 
son.  General  Lee,  accordingly,  directed  General  Longstreet, 
who  had  taken  position  to  the  right  of  Cold  Harbor,  to 
make  a  feint  against  the  Federal  left,  and  thus  relieve  the 
pressure  on  Hill.  Longstreet  proceeded  with  promptness  to 
obey  the  order ;  advanced  in  face  of  a  heavy  fire,  and  with 
a  cross-fire  of  artillery  raking  his  right  from  over  the 
Chickahominy,  and  made  the  feint  which  had  been  ordered 
by  General  Lee.  It  effected  nothing;  and,  to  attain  the 
desired  result,  it  was  found  necessary  to  turn  the  feint  into 
a  real  attack.  This  Longstreet  proceeded  to  do,  first  dis 
persing  with  a  single  volley  a  force  of  cavalry  which  had 
the  temerity  to  charge  his  infantry.  As  he  advanced  and 
attacked  the  powerful  position  before  him,  the  roar  of  guns, 
succeeded  by  loud  cheers,  was  heard  on  the  left  of  Lee's 
line. 

Jackson  had  arrived  and  thrown  his  troops  into  action 
without  delay.  He  then  rode  forward  to  Cold  Harbor, 
where  General  Lee  awaited  him,  and  the  two  soldiers  shook 
hands  in  the  midst  of  tumultuous  cheering  from  the  troops, 
who  had  received  intelligence  that  Jackson's  corps  had 
joined  them.  The  contrast  between  the  two  men  was  ex 
tremely  striking.  We  have  presented  a  brief  sketch  of 
Lee's  personal  appearance  upon  the  occasion — of  the  grave 
commander-in-chief,  with  his  erect  and  graceful  seat  in  the 
saddle,  his  imposing  dignity  of  demeanor,  and  his  calm  and 
measured  tones,  as  deliberate  as  though  he  were  in  a  draw- 


84:  ON  THE  CHICKAHOMINY. 

ing-room.  Jackson  was  a  very  different  personage.  He 
was  clad  in  a  dingy  old  coat,  wore  a  discolored  cadet-cap, 
tilted  almost  upon  his  nose,  and  rode  a  rawboned  horse,  with 
short  stirrups,  which  raised  his  knees  in  the  most  ungraceful 
manner.  Neither  in  his  face  nor  figure  was  there  the  least 
indication  of  the  great  faculties  of  the  man,  and  a  more  awk 
ward-looking  personage  it  would  be  impossible  to  imagine. 
In  his  hand  he  held  a  lemon,  which  he  sucked  from  time  to 
time,  and  his  demeanor  was  abstracted  and  absent. 

As  Jackson  approached,  Lee  rode  toward  him  and  greeted 
him  with  a  cordial  pressure  of  the  hand. 

"  Ah,  general,"  said  Lee,  "  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you. 
I  hoped  to  be  with  you  before ! " 

Jackson  made  a  twitching  movement  of  his  head,  and 
replied  in  a  few  words,  rather  jerked  from  the  lips  than 
deliberately  uttered. 

Lee  had  paused,  and  now  listened  attentively  to  the 
long  roll  of  musketry  from  the  woods,  where  Hill  and  Long- 
street  were  engaged  ;  then  to  the  still  more  incessant  and 
angry  roar  from  the  direction  of  Jackson's  own  troops,  who 
had  closed  in  upon  the  Federal  forces. 

"  That  fire  is  very  heavy,"  said  Lee.  "  Do  you  think 
your  men  can  stand  it  ? " 

Jackson  listened  for  a  moment,  with  his  head  bent  tow 
ard  one  shoulder,  as  was  customary  with  him,  for  he  was 
deaf,  he  said,  in  one  ear,  "  and  could  not  hear  out  of  the 
other,"  and  replied  briefly: 

"  They  can  stand  almost  any  thing  !  They  can  stand 
that ! " 

He  then,  after  receiving  General  Lee's  instructions,  im 
mediately  saluted  and  returned  to  his  corps — Lee  remaining 


THE   BATTLE   OF  THE   CHICKAHOMINY.  85 

still  at  Cold  Harbor,  which  was  opposite  the  Federal  cen 
tre. 

The  arrival  of  Jackson  changed  in  a  moment  the  aspect 
of  affairs  in  every  part  of  the  field.  "Whitney's  division  of 
his  command  took  position  on  Longstreet's  left ;  the  com 
mand  of  General  D.  H.  Hill,  on  the  extreme  right  of  the 
whole  line,  and  E well's  division,  with  part  of  Jackson's  old 
division,  supported  A.  P.  Hill.  No  sooner  had  these  dispo 
sitions  been  made,  than  General  Lee  ordered  an  attack 
along  the  whole  line.  It  was  now  five  or  six  o'clock, 
and  the  sun  was  sinking.  From  that  moment  until  night 
came,  the  battle  raged  with  a  fury  unsurpassed  in  any  sub 
sequent  engagement  of  the  war.  The  Texan  troops,  under 
General  Hood,  especially  distinguished  themselves.  These, 
followed  by  their  comrades,  charged  the  Federal  left  on  the 
bluff,  and,  in  spite  of  a  desperate  resistance,  carried  the  po 
sition.  "  The  enemy  were  driven,"  says  General  Lee,  "from 
the  ravine  to  the  first  line  of  breastworks,  over  which  one 
impetuous  column  dashed,  up  to  the  intrenchments  on  the 
crest."  Here  the  Federal  artillery  was  captured,  their  line 
driven  from  the  hill,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  field  a  similar 
success  followed  the  attack.  As  night  fell,  their  line  gave 
way  in  all  parts,  and  the  remnants  of  General  Porter's  com 
mand  retreated  to  the  bridges  over  the  Chickahominy. 

The  first  important  passage  of  arms  between  General 
McClellan  and  General  Lee  —  and  it  may  be  added  the 
really  decisive  one — had  terminated  in  a  great  success  on 
the  side  of  the  Confederates. 


86  ON  THE  CHICKAHOMINY. 

IY. 

THE    EETKEAT. 

THE  battle  of  Cold  Harbor — or,  as  General  Lee  styles  it 
in  Ms  report,  the  "battle  of  the  Chickahominy " — was  the 
decisive  struggle  between  the  great  adversaries,  and  deter 
mined  the  fate  of  General  McClellan's  campaign  against 
Richmond. 

This  view  is  not  held  by  writers  on  the  Northern  side, 
who  represent  the  battle  in  question  as  only  the  first  of  a 
series  of  engagements,  all  of  pretty  nearly  equal  importance, 
and  mere  incidents  attending  General  McClellan's  change 
of  base  to  the  shores  of  the  James  River.  Such  a  theory 
seems  unfounded.  If  the  battle  at  Cold  Harbor  had  re 
sulted  in  a  Federal  victory,  General  McClellan  would  have 
advanced  straight  on  Richmond,  and  the  capture  of  the  city 
would  inevitably  have  followed.  But  at  Cold  Harbor  he 
sustained  a  decisive  defeat.  His  whole  campaign  was  re 
versed,  and  came  to  naught,  from  the  events  occurring 
between  noon  and  nightfall  on  the  27th  of  June.  The 
result  of  that  obstinate  encounter  was  not  a  Federal  success, 
leading  to  the  fall  of  Richmond,  but  a  Federal  defeat,  which 
led  to  the  ^treat  to  the  James  River,  and  the  failure  of  the 
whole  campaign  against  the  Confederate  capital. 

It  is  conceded  that  General  McClellan  really  intended 
to  change  his  base;  but  after  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor 
every  thing  had  changed.  He  no  longer  had  under  him  a 
high-spirited  army,  moving  to  take  up  a  stronger  position, 
but  a  weary  and  dispirited  multitude  of  human  beings,  hur- 


THE  RETREAT,  gf 

rying  along  to  gain  the  shelter  of  the  gunboats  on  the  James 
River,  with  the  enemy  pursuing  closely,  and  worrying  them 
at  every  step.  To  the  condition  of  the  Federal  army  one 
of  their  own  officers  testifies,  and  his  expressions  are  so 
strong  as  wellnigh  to  move  the  susceptibilities  of  an  oppo 
nent.  "  We  were  ordered  to  retreat,"  says  General  Hooker, 
"  and  it  was  like  the  retreat  of  a  whipped  army.  We  re 
treated  like  a  parcel  of  sheep ;  everybody  on  the  road  at 
the  same  time ;  and  a  few  shots  from  the  rebels  would  have 
panic-stricken  the  whole  command."  * 

Such  was  the  condition  of  that  great  army  which  had 
fought  so  bravely,  standing  firm  so  long  against  the  head 
long  assaults  of  the  flower  of  the  Southern  troops.  It  was 
the  battle  at  Cold  Harbor  which  had  produced  this  state  of 
things,  thereby  really  deciding  the  result  of  the  campaign. 
To  attribute  to  that  action,  therefore,  no  more  importance 
than  attached  to  the  engagements  on  the  retreat  to  James 
Eiver,  seems  in  opposition  to  the  truth  of  history. 

We  shall  present  only  a  general  narrative  of  the  famous 
retreat  which  reflected  the  highest  credit  upon  General  Mc- 
Clellan,  and  will  remain  his  greatest  glory.  He,  at  least, 
was  too  good  a  soldier  not  to  understand  that  the  battle  of 
the  27th  was  a  decisive  one.  He  determined  to  retreat,  with 
out  risking  another  action,  to  the  banks  of  the  James  Eiver, 
where  the  Federal  gunboats  would  render  a  second  attack 
from  the  Confederates  a  hazardous  undertaking ;  and,  "  on 
the  evening  of  the  27th  of  June,"  as  he  says  in  his  official 
report,  "  assembled  the  corps  commanders  at  his  head 
quarters,  and  informed  them  of  his  plan,  its  reasons,  and  his 
choice  of  route,  and  method  of  execution."  Orders  were 

*  Report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  part  i.,  p.  580. 


38  OX  THE   CHICKAHOMINY. 

then  issued  to  General  Keyes  to  move  with  his  corps  across 
the  White-Oak  Swamp  Bridge,  and,  taking  up  a  position 
with  his  artillery  on  the  opposite  side,  cover  the  passage  of 
the  rest  of  the  troops ;  the  trains  and  supplies  at  Savage 
Station,  on  the  York  River  Railroad,  were  directed  to  be 
withdrawn  ;  and  the  corps  commanders  were  ordered  to 
move  with  such  provisions,  munitions,  and  sick,  as  they 
could  transport,  on  the  direct  road  to  Harrison's  Landing. 

These  orders  were  promptly  carried  out.  Before  dawn  on 
the  29th  the  Federal  army  took  up  the  line  of  march,  and 
the  great  retrograde  movement  was  successfully  begun.  An 
immense  obstacle  to  its  success  lay  in  the  character  of  the 
country  through  which  it  was  necessary  to  pass.  White- 
Oak  Swamp  is  an  extensive  morass,  similar  to  that  skirting 
the  banks  of  the  Chickahominy,  and  the  passage  through  it 
is  over  narrow,  winding,  and  difficult  roads,  which  furnish 
the  worst  possible  pathways  for  wagons,  artillery,  or  even 
troops.  It  was  necessary,  however,  to  use  these  highways 
or  none,  and  General  McClellan  resolutely  entered  upon  his 
critical  movement. 

General  Lee  was  yet  in  doubt  as  to  his  opponent's  de 
signs,  and  the  fact  is  highly  creditable  to  General  McClel 
lan.  A  portion  of  the  Federal  army  still  remained  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Chickahominy,  and  it  might  be  the  inten 
tion  of  McClellan  to  push  forward  reinforcements  from  the 
Peninsula,  fight  a  second  battle  for  the  protection  of  his 
great  mass  of  supplies  at  the  "White  House,  or,  crossing  his 
whole  army  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Chickahominy  by  the 
lower  bridges,  retreat  down  the  Peninsula  by  the  same  road 
followed  in  advancing.  All  that  General  Lee  could  do, 
under  these  circumstances,  was  to  remain  near  Cold  Har- 


THE  RETREAT.  89 

bor  with  his  main  body,  send  a  force  toward  the  York  River 
road,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Chickahominy,  to  check 
any  Federal  attempt  to  cross  there,  and  await  further  de 
velopments. 

It  was  not  until  the  morning  of  the  29th  that  General 
McClellan's  designs  became  apparent.  It  was  then  ascer 
tained  that  he  had  commenced  moving  toward  James  River 
with  his  entire  army,  and  Lee  issued  prompt  orders  for  the 
pursuit.  While  a  portion  of  the  Confederate  army  followed 
closely  upon  the  enemy's  rear,  other  bodies  were  directed 
to  move  by  the  Williamsburg  and  Charles  City  roads,  and 
intercept  him,  or  assail  his  flanks.  If  these  movements  were 
promptly  made,  and  no  unnecessary  delay  took  place,  it  was 
expected  that  the  Federal  army  would  be  brought  to  bay 
in  the  White-Oak  Swamp,  and  a  final  victory  be  achieved 
by  the  Confederates. 

These  complicated  movements  were  soon  in  full  prog 
ress,  and  at  various  points  on  the  line  of  retreat  fierce  fight 
ing  ensued.  General  Magruder,  advancing  to  Savage  Sta 
tion,  an  important  depot  of  Federal  stores,  on  the  York 
River  Railroad,  encountered  on  the  29th,  the  powerful  Fed 
eral  rear-guard,  which  fought  obstinately  until  night,  when  it 
retired.  Next  day  Generals  Longstreet  and  A.  P.  Hill 
had  pushed  down  the  Long  Bridge  road,  and  on  the  next 
day  (June  30th)  came  on  the  retreating  column  which  was 
vigorously  engaged.  From  the  character  of  the  ground, 
little,  however,  was  effected.  The  enemy  fought  with  ob 
stinate  courage,  and  repulsed  every  assault.  The  battle 
raged  until  after  nightfall,  when  the  Federal  army  continued 
to  retreat. 

These  actions  were  the  most  important,  and  in  both  the 
Confederates  had  failed  to  effect  any  important  results. 


90  ON  THE   CniCKAHOMINY. 

Even  Jackson,  who  had  been  delayed,  by  the  destruction  of 
the  Chickahominy  bridges,  in  crossing  to  the  south  bank 
from  the  vicinity  of  Cold  Harbor,  and  had  followed  in  rear 
of  the  rest  of  the  army,  found  himself  checked  by  General 
McClellan's  admirable  disposition  for  the  protection  of  his 
rear.  Jackson  made  every  effort  to  strike  a  decisive  blow 
at  the  Federal  rear  in  the  White-Oak  Swamp,  but  he  found 
a  bridge  in  his  front  destroyed,  the  enemy  holding  the  op 
posite  side  in  strong  force,  and,  when  he  endeavored  to  force 
a  passage,  the  determined  fire  from  their  artillery  rendered 
it  impossible  for  him  to  do  so.  General  McClellan  had  thus 
foiled  the  generalship  of  Lee,  and  the  hard  fighting  of  Stone 
wall  Jackson.  His  excellent  military  judgment  had  defeated 
every  attempt  made  to  crush  him.  On  the  1st  of  July  he 
had  successfully  passed  the  terrible  swamp,  in  spite  of  all 
his  enemies,  and  his  army  was  drawn  up  on  the  wellnigh 
impregnable  heights  of  Malvern  Hill. 

A  last  struggle  took  place  at  Malvern  Hill,  and  the  Con 
federate  assault  failed  at  all  points.  Owing  to  the  wooded 
nature  of  the  ground,  and  the  absence  of  accurate  informa 
tion  in  regard  to  it,  the  attack  was  made  under  very  great 
difficulties  and  effected  nothing.  The  Federal  troops  re 
sisted  courageously,  and  inflicted  heavy  loss  upon  the 
assailing  force,  which  advanced  to  the  muzzles  of  the  Fed 
eral  cannon,  but  did  not  carry  the  heights ;  and  at  night 
fall  the  battle  ceased,  the  Confederates  having  suffered  a 
severe  repulse. 

On  the  next  morning,  General  McClellan  had  disap 
peared  toward  Harrison's  Landing,  to  which  he  conducted 
his  army  safely,  without  further  molestation,  and  the  long 
and  bitter  struggle  was  over. 


RICHMOND  IN   DANGER.  gj 

Y. 

BICHMOND    IN    DANGER— LEE'S    VIEWS. 

WE  have  presented  a  sufficiently  full  narrative  of  the 
great  battles  of  the  Chickahominy  to  enable  the  reader  to 
form  his  own  opinion  of  the  events,  and  the  capacity  of  the 
two  leaders  who  directed  them.  Full  justice  has  been 
sought  to  be  done  to  the  eminent  military  abilities  of  Gen 
eral  McClellan,  and  the  writer  is  not  conscious  that  he  has 
done  more  than  justice  to  General  Lee. 

Lee  has  not  escaped  criticism,  and  was  blamed  by  many 
persons  for  not  putting  an  end  to  the  Federal  army  on  the 
retreat  through  "White-Oak  Swamp.     To  this  criticism,  it 
may  be  said  in  reply,  that  putting  an  end  to  nearly  or  quite 
one  hundred  thousand  men  is  a  difficult  undertaking ;  and 
that  in  one  instance,  at  least,  the  failure  of  one  of  his  sub 
ordinates  in  arriving  promptly,  reversed  his  plans  at  the 
most  critical  moment  of  the  struggle.     General  Lee  himself, 
however,  states  the  main  cause  of  failure :     "  Under  ordi 
nary  circumstances,"  he  says,  "  the  Federal  army  should 
have  been  destroyed.     Its  escape  is  due  to  the  causes  already 
stated.     Prominent  among  them  is  the  want  of  timely  and 
correct  information.      This  fact,  attributed   chiefly  to  the 
character  of  the  country,  enabled  General  McClellan  skil 
fully  to  conceal  his  retreat,  and  to  add  much  to  the  ob 
struction  with  which  Nature  had  beset  the  way  of  our  pur 
suing  columns.    But  regret  that  more  was  not  accomplished, 
gives  way  to  gratitude  to  the  Sovereign  Euler  of  the  Uni 
verse  for  the  results  achieved." 

The  reader  will  form  his  own  opinion  whether  Lee  wag 


92  ON  THE   CHICKAHOMINY. 

or  was  not  to  blame  for  this  want  of  accurate  information, 
which  would  seem,  however,  to  be  justly  attributable  to  the 
War  Department  at  Richmond,  rather  than  to  an  officer 
who  had  been  assigned  to  command  only  three  or  four 
weeks  before.  Other  criticisms  of  Lee  referred  to  his  main 
plan  of  operations,  and  the  danger  to  which  he  exposed 
Richmond  by  leaving  only  twenty-five  thousand  men  in 
front  of  it,  when  he  began  his  movement  against  General 
McClellan's  right  wing,  beyond  the  Chickahominy.  Gen 
eral  Magruder,  who  commanded  this  force  of  twenty-five 
thousand  men  left  to  guard  .the  capital,  expressed  afterward, 
in  his  official  report,  his  views  of  the  danger  to  which  the 
city  had  been  exposed.  He  wrote : 

"  From  the  time  at  which  the  enemy  withdrew  his  forces  to  this 
side  of  the  Chickahominy,  and  destroyed  the  bridges,  to  the  moment 
of  his  evacuation,  that  is,  from  Friday  night  until  Saturday  morning, 
I  considered  the  situation  of  our  army  as  extremely  critical  and  peril 
ous.  The  larger  portion  of  it  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Chick 
ahominy.  The  bridges  had  been  all  destroyed ;  but  one  was  rebuilt — 
the  New  Bridge — which  was  commanded  fully  by  the  enemy's  guns 
from  Goulding's ;  and  there  were  but  twenty-fire  thousand  men  be 
tween  his  army  of  one  hundred  thousand  and  Kichmond.  .  .  .  Had 
McClellan  massed  his  whole  force  in  column,  and  advanced  it  against 
any  point  of  our  line  of  battle,  as  was  done  at  Austerlitz  under  similar 
circumstances  by  the  greatest  captain  of  any  age,  though  the  head  of 
his  column  would  have  suffered  greatly,  its  momentum  would  have  in 
sured  him  success,  and  the  occupation  of  our  works  about  Richmond, 
and  consequently  the  city,  might  have  been  his  reward.  His  failure 
to  do  so  is  the  best  evidence  that  our  wise  commander  fully  understood 
the  character  of  his  opponent." 

To  this  portion  of  General  Magruder's  report  Genera] 
Lee  appended  the  following  "  Remarks  "  in  forwarding  it : 


RICHMOND  IN  DANGER.  93 

"General  Magruder  is  under  a  misapprehension  as  to  the  separation 
of  the  troops  operating  on  the  north  side  of  the  Chickahominy  from 
those  under  himself  and  General  Huger  on  the  south  side.  He  refers 
to  this  subject  on  pages  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  and  7,  of  his  report. 

"  The  troops  on  the  two  sides  of  the  river  were  only  separated  until 
we  succeeded  in  occupying  the  position  near  what  is  known  as  New 
Bridge,  which  occurred  before  twelve  o'clock  M.  on  Friday,  June  27th, 
and  before  the  attack  on  the  enemy  at  Gaines's  Mill. 

"  From  the  time  we  reached  the  position  referred  to,  I  regarded 
communication  between  the  two  wings  of  our  army  as  reestablished. 

"  The  bridge  referred  to,  and  another  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
above,  were  ordered  to  be  repaired  before  noon  on  Friday,  and  the 
New  Bridge  was  sufficiently  rebuilt  to  be  passed  by  artillery  on  Friday 
night,  and  the  one  above  it  was  used  for  the  passage  of  wagons,  am 
bulances,  and  troops,  early  on  Saturday  morning. 

"  Besides  this,  all  other  bridges  above  New  Bridge,  and  all  the 
fords  above  that  point,  were  open  to  us." 

To  this  General  Magruder  subsequently  responded  as 
follows : 

"New  Bridge  was  finished  on  Friday  evening,  the  27th,  instead  of 
Saturday,  28th  of  June. 

"  I  wrote  from  memory  in  reference  to  the  time  of  its  being  fin 
ished. 

"  It  was  reported  to  me  that  the  bridge  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
above  was  attempted  to  be  crossed  by  troops  (I  think  Ransom's  bri 
gade),  on  Saturday  morning,  from  the  south  to  the  north  side,  but  that, 
finding  the  bridge  or  the  approach  to  it  difficult,  they  came  down  and 
crossed  at  New  Bridge  on  the  same  morning. 

"  My  statement  in  regard  to  these  bridges  was  not  intended  as  a 
criticism  on  General  Lee's  plan,  but  to  show  the  position  of  the  troops, 
with  a  view  to  the  proper  understanding  of  my  report,  and  to  prove 
that  the  enemy  might  have  reasonably  entertained  a  design,  after  con 
centrating  his  troops,  to  march  on  Richmond." 


94  ON  THE   CHICKAHOMINT. 

We  shall  not  detain  the  reader  by  entering  upon  a  full 
discussion  of  the  interesting  question  here  raised.  General 
Lee,  as  his  observations  on  General  Magruder's  report  show, 
did  not  regard  Eichmond  as  exposed  to  serious  danger,  and 
was  confident  of  his  ability  to  recross  the  Chickahominy 
and  go  to  its  succor  in  the  event  of  an  attack  on  the  city  by 
General  McClellan.  Had  this  prompt  recrossing .  of  the 
stream  here,  even,  been  impracticable,  it  may  still  be  a  ques 
tion  whether  General  Lee  did  not,  in  his  movement  against 
the  Federal  right  wing  with  the  bulk  of  his  army,  follow  the 
dictates  of  sound  generalship.  In  war,  something  must  be 
risked,  and  occasions  arise  which  render  it  necessary  to  dis 
regard  general  maxims.  It  is  one  of  the  first  principles  of 
military  science  that  a  commander  should  always  keep  open 
his  line  of  retreat ;  but  the  moment  may  come  when  his  best 
policy  is  to  burn  the  bridges  behind  him.  Of  Lee's  move 
ment  against  General  McClellan's  right,  it  may  be  said  that 
it  was  based  on  the  broadest  good  sense  and  the  best  gen 
eralship.  The  situation  of  affairs  rendered  an  attack  in  some 
quarter  essential  to  the  safety  of  the  capital,  which  was 
about  to  be  hemmed  in  on  all  sides.  To  attack  the  left  of 
General  McClellan,  promised  small  results.  It  had  been 
tried  and  had  failed ;  his  right  alone  remained.  It  was  pos 
sible,  certainly,  that  he  would  mass  his  army,  and,  crushing 
Magruder,  march  into  Richmond ;  but  it  was  not  probable 
that  he  would  make  the  attempt.  The  Federal  commander 
was  known  to  be  a  soldier  disposed  to  caution  rather  than 
audacity.  The  small  amount  of  force  under  General  Ma- 
gruder  was  a  secret  which  he  could  not  be  expected  to  know. 
That  General  Lee  took  these  facts  into  consideration,  as  Gen 
eral  Magruder  intimates,  may  or  may  not  have  been  the 


RICHMOND  IN  DANGER.  95 

fact ;  and  the  whole  discussion  may  be  fairly  summed  up, 
perhaps,  by  saying  that  success  vindicated  the  course 
adopted.  "  Success,  after  all,  is  the  test  of  merit,"  said  the 
brave  Albert  Sydney  Johnston,  and  Talleyrand  compressed 
much  sound  reasoning  in  the  pithy  maxim,  "  Nothing  suc 
ceeds  like  success." 

On  the  2d  of  July  the  campaign  was  over,  and  General 
McClellan  must  have  felt,  in  spite  of  his  hopeful  general 
orders  to  the  troops,  and  dispatches  to  his  Government,  that 
the  great  struggle  for  Richmond  had  virtually  ended.  A 
week  before,  he  had  occupied  a  position  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  city,  with  a  numerous  army  in  the  highest  spirits,  and 
of  thorough  efficiency.  Now,  he  lay  on  the  banks  of  James 
River,  thirty  miles  away  from  the  capital,  and  his  army  was 
worn  out  by  the  tremendous  ordeal  it  had  passed  through, 
and  completely  discouraged.  We  have  not  dwelt  upon  the 
horrors  of  the  retreat,  and  the  state  of  the  army,  which 
Northern  writers  painted  at  the  time  in  the  gloomiest  col 
ors.  For  the  moment,  it  was  no  longer  the  splendid  war- 
engine  it  had  been,  and  was  again  afterward.  Nothing 
could  be  done  with  it,  and  General  McClellan  knew  the  fact. 
Without  fresh  troops,  a  renewed  advance  upon  Richmond 
was  a  mere  dream. 

No  further  attack  was  made  by  General  Lee,  who  re 
mained  for  some  days  inactive  in  the  hot  forests  of  Charles 
City.  His  reasons  for  refraining  from  a  new  assault  on  Gen 
eral  McClellan  are  summed  up  in  one  or  two  sentences  of 
his  report :  u  The  Federal  commander,"  he  says,  "  immedi 
ately  began  to  fortify  his  position,  which  was  one  of  great 
natural  strength,  flanked  on  each  side  by  a  creek,  and  the 
approach  to  his  front  commanded  by  the  heavy  guns  of  his 


96  ON  THE  CHICK AHOMINY. 

shipping,  in  addition  to  those  mounted  in  his  intrenchments. 
It  was  deemed  inexpedient  to  attack  him,  and  in  view  of  the 
condition  of  our  troops,  who  had  been  marching  and  fight 
ing  almost  incessantly  for  seven  days  under  the  most  trying 
circumstances,  it  was  determined  to  withdraw,  in  order  to 
afford  them  the  repose  of  which  they  stood  so  much  in  need." 
On  the  8th  of  July,  General  Lee  accordingly  directed  his 
march  back  toward  Richmond,  and  the  troops  went  into 
camp  and  rested. 

VI. 

LEE     AND     McCLELLAN  — THEIE     IDENTITY     OF 
OPINION. 

GENERAL  LEE  had  thus,  at  the  outset  of  his  career,  as 
commander  of  the  Confederate  army,  saved  the  capital  by  a 
blow  at  the  enemy  as  sudden  as  it  was  resistless.  The  class 
of  persons  who  are  never  satisfied,  and  delight  in  fault-finding 
under  all  circumstances,  declared  that  a  great  general  would 
have  crushed  the  enemy  on  their  retreat ;  these  certainly 
were  in  a  minority ;  the  people  at  large  greeted  Lee  as  the 
author  of  a  great  deliverance  worked  out  for  them,  and,  on 
his  return  to  Richmond,  he  was  received  with  every  mark 
of  gratitude  and  honor.  He  accepted  this  public  ovation 
with  the  moderation  and  dignity  which  characterized  his  de 
meanor  afterward,  under  all  circumstances,  either  of  victory 
or  defeat.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  discover  in  his  bear 
ing  at  this  time,  as  on  other  great  occasions,  any  evidences 
whatever  of  elation.  Success,  like  disaster,  seemed  to  find 
him  calm,  collected,  and  as  nearly  unimpressible  as  is  pos 
sible  for  a  human  being. 


LEE  AND   McCLELLAN.  97 

The  character  of  the  man  led  him  to  look  upon  success 
or  failure  with  this  supreme  composure,  which  nothing 
seemed  able  to  shake ;  "but  in  July,  1862,  he  probably  under 
stood  that  the  Confederate  States  were  still  as  far  as  ever 
from  having  achieved  the  objects  of  the  war.  General  Mc- 
Clellan  had  been  defeated  in  battle,  but  the  great  resources 
of  the  United  States  Government  would  enable  it  prompt 
ly  to  put  other  and  larger  armies  in  the  field.  Even  the 
defeated  army  was  still  numerous  and  dangerous,  for  it  con 
sisted,  according  to  McClellan's  report,  of  nearly  or  quite 
ninety  thousand  men ;  and  the  wise  brain  of  its  commander 
had  devised  a  plan  of  future  operations  which  promised  far 
greater  results  than  the  advance  on  Richmond  from  the 
Chickahominy. 

We  shall  touch,  in  passing,  on  this  interesting  subject, 
but  shall  first  ask  the  reader's  attention  to  a  communication 
addressed,  by  General  McClellan,  at  this  time  to  President 
Lincoln.  It  is  one  of  those  papers  which  belong  to  history, 
and  should  be  placed  upon  record.  It  not  only  throws 
the  clearest  light  on  the  character  and  views  of  General 
Lee's  great  adversary,  but  expresses  with  admirable  lucidity 
the  sentiments  of  a  large  portion  of  the  Federal  people  at 
the  time.  The  President  had  invited  a  statement  of  Gen 
eral  McClellan's  views  on  the  conduct  of  the  war,  and  on 
July  7th,  in  the  very  midst  of  the  scenes  of  disaster  at  Har 
rison's  Landing,  McClellan  wrote  these  statesmanlike  words : 

"  This  rebellion  has  assumed  the  character  of  a  war ;  as  such  it 
should  be  regarded,  and  it  should  be  conducted  upon  the  highest  prin 
ciples  know  to  Christian  civilization.  It  should  not  be  a  war  looking 
to  the  subjugation  of  the  people  of  any  State  in  any  event.  It  should 
not  be  at  all  a  war  upon  population,  but  against  armed  forces  and  po- 


98  ON  THE  CHICKAHOMINY. 

litical  organization.  Neither  confiscation  of  property,  political  exe 
cutions,  territorial  organizations  of  States,  nor  forcible  abolition  of 
slavery,  should  be  contemplated  for  a  moment.  In  prosecuting  the  war 
all  private  property  and  unarmed  persons  should  be  strictly  protected, 
subject  only  to  the  necessity  of  military  operations.  All  private  prop 
erty  taken  for  military  use  should  be  paid  or  receipted  for ;  pillage  and 
waste  should  be  treated  as  high  crimes ;  all  unnecessary  trespass  sternly 
prohibited,  and  offensive  demeanor  by  the  military  toward  citizens 
promptly  rebuked.  Military  arrests  should  not  be  tolerated,  except  in 
places  where  active  hostilities  exist,  and  oaths  not  required  by  enact 
ments  constitutionally  made  should  be  neither  demanded  nor  received. 
Military  government  should  be  confined  to  the  preservation  of  public 
order  and  the  protection  of  political  right.  Military  power  should  not 
be  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  relations  of  servitude,  either  by  sup 
porting  or  impairing  the  authority  of  the  master,  except  for  repressing 
disorder,  as  in  other  cases.  Slaves  contraband  under  the  Act  of  Con 
gress,  seeking  military  protection,  should  receive  it.  The  right  of  the 
Government  to  appropriate  permanently  to  its  own  service  claims  to 
slave-labor  should  be  asserted,  and  the  right  of  the  owner  to  compen 
sation  therefor  should  be  recognized. 

"  This  principle  might  be  extended  upon  grounds  of  military  neces 
sity  and  security  to  all  the  slaves  of  a  particular  State,  thus  working 
manumission  in  such  State ;  and  in  Missouri,  perhaps  in  Western  Vir 
ginia  also,  and  possibly  even  in  Maryland,  the  expediency  of  such  a 
measure  is  only  a  question  of  time. 

"  A  system  of  policy  thus  constitutional,  and  pervaded  by  the  in 
fluences  of  Christianity  and  freedom,  would  receive  the  support  of 
almost  all  truly  loyal  men,  would  deeply  impress  the  rebel  masses  and 
all  foreign  nations,  and  it  might  be  humbly  hoped  that  it  would  com 
mend  itself  to  the  favor  of  the  Almighty. 

"  Unless  the  principles  governing  the  future  conduct  of  our  strug 
gle  shall  be  made  known  and  approved,  the  effort  to  obtain  requisite 
forces  will  be  almost  hopeless.  A  declaration  of  radical  views,  espe 
cially  upon  slavery,  will  rapidly  disintegrate  our  present  armies. 

"  The  policy  of  the  Government  must  be  supported  by  concentra- 


LEE  AND   McCLELLAN.  99 

tions  of  military  power.  The  national  forces  should  not  be  dispersed 
in  expeditions,  posts  of  occupation,  and  numerous  armies ;  but  should 
be  mainly  collected  into  masses,  and  brought  to  bear  upon  the  armies 
of  the  Confederate  States.  Those  armies  thoroughly  defeated,  the  po 
litical  structure  which  they  support  would  soon  cease  to  exist. 

"  In  carrying  out  any  system  of  policy  which  you  may  form,  you 
will  require  a  commander-in-chief  of  the  army — one  who  possesses  your 
confidence,  understands  your  views,  and  who  is  competent  to  execute 
your  orders,  by  directing  the  military  forces  of  the  nation  to  the  ac 
complishment  of  the  objects  by  you  proposed.  I  do  not  ask  that  place 
for  myself.  I  am  willing  to  serve  you  in  such  positions  as  you  may  as 
sign  me,  and  I  will  do  so  as  faithfully  as  ever  subordinate  served  su 
perior.  I  may  be  on  the  brink  of  eternity,  and,  as  I  hope  forgiveness 
from  my  Maker,  I  have  written  this  letter  with  sincerity  toward  you, 
and  from  love  for  my  country." 

This  noble  and  earnest  exposition  of  his  opinion,  upon 
the  proper  mode  of  conducting  the  war,  will  reflect  honor 
upon  General  McClellan  when  his  military  achievements 
are  forgotten.  It  discusses  the  situation  of  affairs,  both  from 
the  political  and  military  point  of  view,  in  a  spirit  of  the 
broadest  statesmanship,  and  with  the  acumen  of  a  great  sol 
dier.  That  it  had  no  effect,  is  the  clearest  indication  upon 
which  the  war  was  thenceforward  to  be  conducted. 

The  removal  of  General  McClellan,  as  holding  views  op 
posed  to  the  party  in  power,  is  said  to  have  resulted  from 
this  communication.  It  certainly  placed  him  in  open  an 
tagonism  to  General  Halleck,  the  Federal  Secretary  of  War, 
and,  as  this  antagonism  had  a  direct  effect  upon  even  tscon- 
nected  with  the  subject  of  our  memoir,  we  shall  briefly  re 
late  how  it  was  now  displayed. 

Defeated  on  the  Chickahominy,  and  seeing  little  to  en 
courage  an  advance,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  James,  upon 
Eichmond,  General  McClellan  proposed  to  cross  that  river 


100  ON  THE   CHICKAHOMINY. 

and  operate  against  the  capital  and  its  communications, 
near  Petersburg.  The  proof  of  McClellan's  desire  to  under 
take  this  movement,  which  afterward  proved  so  successful 
under  General  Grant,  is  found  in  a  memorandum,  by  General 
Halleck  himself,  of  what  took  place  on  a  visit  paid  by  him 
to  McClellan,  at  Harrison's  Landing,  on  July  25,  1862. 

"  I  stated  to  him,"  says  General  Halleck,  "  that  the  ob 
ject  of  my  visit  was  to  ascertain  from  him  his  views  and 
wishes  in  regard  to  future  operations.  He  said  that  he  pro 
posed  to  cross  the  James  River  at  that  point,  attack  Peters 
burg,  and  cut  off  the  enemy's  communications  by  that  route 
South,  making  no  further  demonstration  for  the  present 
against  Richmond.  I  stated  to  him  very  frankly  my  views  in 
regard  to  the  manner  and  impracticability  of  the  plan;  "  and 
nothing  further,  it  seems,  was  said  of  this  highly  "  imprac 
ticable  "  plan  of  operations.  It  became  practicable  after 
ward  under  General  Grant ;  McClellan  was  not  permitted 
to  essay  it  in  July,  1862,  from  the  fact  that  it  had  been  re 
solved  to  relieve  him  from  command,  or  from  General  Hal- 
leek's  inability  to  perceive  its  good  sense. 

General  Lee's  views  upon  this  subject  coincided  com 
pletely  with  those  of  General  McClellan.  He  expressed  at 
this  time,  to  those  in  his  confidence,  the  opinion  that  Rich 
mond  could  be  assailed  to  greater  advantage  from  the  South, 
as  a  movement  of  the  enemy  in  that  direction  would  menace 
her  communications  with  the  Gulf  States  ;  and  events  sub 
sequently  proved  the  soundness  of  this  view.  \Attacks  from 
all  other  quarters  failed,  including  a  repetition  1^  General 
Grant  of  McClellan's  attempt  from  the  side  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy.  When  General  Grant  carried  out  his  predecessor's 
plan  of  assailing  the  city  from  the  direction  of  Petersburg; 
he  succeeded  in  putting  an  end  to  the  war. 


PAUT  IY. 
THE     WAR    ADVANCES    NORTHWARD. 


LEE'S    PROTEST. 


GENERAL  LEE  remained  in  front  of  Kichmond,  watching 
General  McClellan,  but  intelligence  soon  reached  him  from 
the  upper  Eappahannock  that  another  army  was  advancing 
in  that  quarter,  and  had  already  occupied  the  county  of  Cul- 
pepper,  with  the  obvious  intention  of  capturing  Gordonsville, 
the  point  of  junction  of  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  and  Vir 
ginia  Central  Eailroads,  and  advancing  thence  upon  Eich- 
mond. 

The  great  defeat  on  the  Chickahominy  had  only  inspired 
the  Federal  authorities  with  new  energy.  Three  hundred 
thousand  new  troops  were  called  for,  large  bounties  were 
held  out  as  an  inducement  to  enlistment,  negro-slaves  in  re 
gions  occupied  by  the  United  States  armies  were  directed 
to  be  enrolled  as  troops,  and  military  commanders  were  au 
thorized  to  seize  upon  whatever  was  "  necessary  or  conven 
ient  for  their  commands,"  without  compensation  to  the 
owners.  This  indicated  the  policy  upon  which  it  was  now 
intended  to  conduct  the  war,  and  the  army  occupying  Cul- 


102  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

pepper  proceeded  to  carry  out  the  new  policy  in  every  par 
ticular. 

This  force  consisted  of  the  troops  which  had  served  under 
Generals  Banks,  McDowell,  and  Fremont — a  necleus — and 
reinforcements  from  the  army  of  McClellan,  together  with 
the  troops  under  General  Burnside,  were  hastening  to  unite 
with  the  newly-formed  army.  It  was  styled  the  "  Army  of 
Virginia,"  and  was  placed  under  command  of  Major-General 
John  Pope,  who  had  hitherto  served  in  the  West.  General 
^ope  had  procured  the  command,  it  is  said,  by  impressing 
the  authorities  with  a  high  opinion  of  his  energy  and  ac 
tivity.  In  these  qualities,  General  McClellan  was  supposed 
to  be  deficient ;  and  the  new  commander,  coming  from  a 
region  where  the  war  was  conducted  on  a  different  plan,  it 
was  said,  would  be  able  to  infuse  new  life  into  the  languid 
movements  in  Yirginia.  General  Pope  had  taken  special 
pains  to  allay  the  fears  of  the  Federal  authorities  for  the 
safety  of  Washington.  He  intended  to  "lie  off  on  the 
flanks  "  of  Lee's  army,  he  said,  and  render  it  impossible  for 
the  rebels  to  advance  upon  the  capital  while  he  occupied 
that  threatening  position.  When  asked  if,  with  an  army 
like  General  McClellan's,  he  would  find  any  difficulty  in 
marching  through  the  South  to  New  Orleans,  General  Pope 
replied  without  hesitation,  "  I  should  suppose  not." 

This  confident  view  of  things  seems  to  have  procured 
General  Pope  his  appointment,  and  it  will  soon  be  seen  that 
he  proceeded  to  conduct  military  operations  upon  principles 
very  different  from  those  announced  by  General  McClellan. 
War,  as  carried  on  by  General  Pope,  was  to  be  war  d  Vou- 
trance.  General  McClellan  had  written :  "  The  war  should 
not  be  at  all  a  war  upon  population,  but  against  armed 


LEE'S  PROTEST.  103 

forces  ...  all  private  property,  taken  for  military  use, 
should  be  paid  for ;  pillage  and  waste  should  be  treated  as 
high  crimes ;  all  unnecessary  trespass  sternly  prohibited,  and 
offensive  demeanor  by  the  military  toward  citizens  promptly 
rebuked."  The  new  commander  intended  to  act  upon  a 
very  different  principle,  and  to  show  that  he  possessed  more 
activity  and  resolution  than  his  predecessor. 

General  Pope's  assumption  of  the  command  was  signalized 
by  much  pomp  and  animated  general  orders.  He  arrived 
in  a  train  decked  out  with  streamers,  and  issued  an  order 
in  which  he  said  to  the  troops :  "  I  desire  you  to  dismiss 
from  your  minds  certain  phrases  which  I  am  sorry  to  find 
much  in  vogue  among  you.  I  hear  constantly  of  taking 
strong  positions  and  holding  them,  of  lines  of  retreat  and 
"bases  of  supplies.  Let  us  discard  such  ideas.  The  strongest 
position  which  a  soldier  should  desire  to  occupy  is  the  one 
from  which  he  can  most  easily  advance  upon  the  enemy. 
Let  us  study  the  probable  line  of  retreat  of  our  opponents, 
and  leave  our  own  to  take  care  of  itself.  Let  us  look  before, 
and  not  behind.  Disaster  and  shame  look  in  the  rear" 
The  result,  as  will  be  seen,  furnished  a  grotesque  commen 
tary  upon  that  portion  of  General  Pope's  order  which  we 
have  italicized.  In  an  address  to  the  army,  he  added  fur 
ther  :  "  I  have  come  to  you  from  the  West,  where  we  have 
always  seen  the  backs  of  our  enemies — from  an  army  whose 
business  it  has  been  to  seek  the  adversary,  and  beat  him 
when  found — where  policy  has  been  attack,  and  not  defence. 
I  presume  I  have  been  called  here  to  pursue  the  same  sys 
tem." 

Such  was  the  tenor  of  General  Pope's  orders  on  assum 
ing  command — orders  which  were  either  intended  seriously 


104  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

as  an  announcement  of  his  real  intentions,  or  as  a  blind  to 
persuade  the  Confederates  that  his  force  was  large. 

Unfortunately  for  the  region  in  which  he  now  came  to 
operate,  General  Pope  did  not  confine  himself  to  these  flour 
ishes  of  rhetoric.  He  proceeded  to  inaugurate  a  military 
policy  in  vivid  contrast  to  General  McClellan's.  His  "  ex 
patriation  orders  "  directed  that  all  male  citizens  disloyal  to 
the  United  States  should  be  immediately  arrested;  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States  Government  should 
be  proffered  them,  and,  "  if  they  furnished  sufficient  security 
for  its  observance,"  they  should  be  set  free  again.  If  they 
refused  the  oath,  they  should  be  sent  beyond  the  Federal 
lines ;  and,  if  afterward  found  within  his  lines,  they  should 
be  treated  as  spies,  "  and  shot,  their  property  to  be  seized 
and  applied  to  the  public  use."  All  communication  with 
persons  living  within  the  Southern  lines  was  forbidden ;  such 
communication  should  subject  the  individual  guilty  of  it  to 
be  treated  as  a  spy.  Lastly,  General  Pope's  subordinates 
were  directed  to  arrest  prominent  citizens,  and  hold  them  as 
hostages  for  the  good  behavior  of  the  population.  If  his 
soldiers  were  "  bushwhacked  " — that  is  to  say,  attacked  on 
their  foraging  expeditions — the  prominent  citizens  thus  held 
as  hostages  were  to  suffer  death. 

It  is  obvious  that  war  carried  on  upon  such  principles  is 
rapine.  General  Pope  ventured,  however,  upon  the  new 
programme ;  and  a  foreign  periodical,  commenting  upon  the 
result,  declared  that  this  commander  had  prosecuted  hos 
tilities  against  the  South  "  in  a  way  that  cast  mankind  two 
centuries  back  toward  barbarism."  "We  shall  not  pause  to 
view  the  great  outrages  committed  by  the  Federal  troops  in 
Culpepper.  They  have  received  thus  much  comment  rather 


LEE'S  PROTEST. 

to  introduce  the  following  communication  to  the  Federal 
authorities,  from  General  Lee,  than  to  record  what  is  known 
now  to  the  Old  World  as  well  as  the  New.  Profoundly  out 
raged  and  indignant  at  these  cruel  and  oppressive  acts, 
General  Lee,  by  direction  of  the  Confederate  authorities, 
addressed,  on  the  2d  of  August,  the  following  note  to  Gen 
eral  Halleck : 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  THE  C.  8.,  ) 

NEAR  RICHMOND,  VA.,  August  2,  1862.  j 
To  the  General  commanding  the  U.  8.  Army,  Washington  : 

GENEKAL  :  In  obedience  to  the  order  of  his  Excellency,  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  Confederate  States,  I  have  the  honor  to  make  you  the  fol 
lowing  communication : 

On  the  22d  of  July  last  a  cartel  for  a  general  exchange  of  prisoners 
was  signed  by  Major-General  John  A.  Dix,  on  behalf  of  the  United 
States,  and  by  Major-General  D.  H.  Hill,  on  the  part  of  this  govern 
ment.  By  the  terms  of  that  cartel  it  is  stipulated  that  all  prisoners  of 
war  hereafter  taken  shall  be  discharged  on  parole  until  exchanged. 
Scarcely  had  the  cartel  been  signed,  when  the  military  authorities  of 
the  United  States  commenced  a  practice  changing  the  character  of  the 
war,  from  such  as  becomes  civilized  nations,  into  a  campaign  of  indis 
criminate  robbery  and  murder. 

A  general  order  issued  by  the  Secretary  of  War  of  the  United 
States,  in  the  city  of  Washington,  on  the  very  day  that  the  cartel  was 
signed  in  Virginia,  directs  the  military  commanders  of  the  United 
States  to  take  the  property  of  our  people,  for  the  convenience  and  use 
of  the  army,  without  compensation. 

A  general  order  issued  by  Major-General  Pope,  on  the  23d  of  July 
last,  the  day  after  the  date  of  the  cartel,  directs  the  murder  of  our 
peaceful  citizens  as  spies,  if  found  quietly  tilling  their  farms  in  his  rear, 
even  outside  of  his  lines. 

And  one  of  his  brigadier-generals,  Steinwehr,  has  seized  innocent 
and  peaceful  inhabitants,  to  be  held  as  hostages,  to  the  end  that  they 
\nay  be  murdered  in  cold  blood  if  any  of  his  soldiers  are  killed  by  some 


8 


106  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

unknown  persons  whom  lie  designates  as  "bushwhackers/'  Some  of 
the  military  authorities  seem  to  suppose  that  their  end  will  be  better 
attained  by  a  savage  war  in  which  no  quarter  is  to  be  given,  and  no 
age  or  sex  is  to  be  spared,  than  by  such  hostilities  as  are  alone  recog 
nized  to  be  lawful  in  modern  times.  We  find  ourselves  driven  by  our 
enemies  by  steady  progress  toward  a  practice  which  we  abhor,  and 
which  we  are  vainly  struggling  to  avoid. 

Under  these  circumstances,  this  Government  has  issued  the  accom 
panying  general  order,  which  I  am  directed  by  the  President  to  trans 
mit  to  you,  recognizing  Major-General  Pope  and  his  commissioned  offi 
cers  to  be  in  the  position  which  they  have  chosen  for  themselves — that 
of  robbers  and  murderers,  and  not  that  of  public  enemies,  entitled,  if 
captured,  to  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war.  The  President  also  in 
structs  me  to  inform  you  that  we  renounce  our  right  of  retaliation  on 
the  innocent,  and  will  continue  to  treat  the  private  soldiers  of  General 
Pope's  army  as  prisoners  of  war;  but  if,  after  notice  to  your  Govern 
ment  that  they  confine  repressive  measures  to  the  punishment  of  com 
missioned  officers  who  are  willing  to  participate  in  these  crimes,  the 
savage  practices  threatened  in  the  orders  alluded  to  be  persisted  in,  we 
shall  reluctantly  be  forced  to  the  last  resort  of  accepting  the  war  on 
the  terms  chosen  by  our  enemies,  until  the  voice  of  an  outraged  hu 
manity  shall  compel  a  respect  for  the  recognized  usages  of  war.  While 
the  President  considers  that  the  facts  referred  to  would  justify  a  re 
fusal  on  our  part  to  execute  the  cartel  by  which  we  have  agreed  to 
liberate  an  excess  of  prisoners  of  war  in  our  hands,  a  sacred  regard  for 
plighted  faith,  which  shrinks  from  the  semblance  of  breaking  a  prom 
ise,  precludes  a  resort  to  such  an  extremity,  nor  is  it  his  desire  to  ex 
tend  to  any  other  forces  of  the  United  States  the  punishment  merited 
by  General  Pope  and  such  commissioned  officers  as  choose  to  partici 
pate  in  the  execution  of  his  infamous  order. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

R.  E.  LEE,  General  commanding. 

This  communication  requires  no  comment.     It  had  the 
desired   effect,   although   General  Halleck  returned    it  as 


LEE'S  MANOEUVRES.  107 

couched  in  language  too  insulting  to  be  received.  On  the 
15th  of  August,  the  United  States  War  Department  so  far 
disapproved  of  General  Pope's  orders  as  to  direct  that  "  no 
officer  or  soldier  might,  without  proper  authority,  leave  his 
colors  or  ranks  to  take  private  property,  or  to  enter  a  pri 
vate  house  for  the  purpose,  under  penalty  of  death." 


II. 

LEE'S    MANCEUVEES. 

GENERAL  POPE  had  promptly  advanced,  and  his  army 
lay  in  Culpepper,  the  right  reaching  toward  the  Blue  Eidgc, 
and  the  left  extending  nearly  to  the  Eapidan.' 

The  campaign  now  became  a  contest  of  brains  between 
Lee  and  the  Federal  authorities.  Their  obvious  aim  was  to 
leave  him  in  doubt  whether  a  new  advance  was  intended 
under  McClellan  from  James  Eiver,  or  the  real  movement 
was  to  be  against  Eichmond  from  the  North.  Under 
these  circumstances,  General  Lee  remained  with  the  bulk 
of  his  army  in  front  of  Eichmond ;  but,  on  the  13th  of  July, 
sent  Jackson  with  two  divisions  in  the  direction  of  Gordons- 
ville.  The  game  of  wits  had  thus  begun,  and  General  Lee 
moved  cautiously,  looking  in  both  directions,  toward  James 
Eiver  and  the  Upper  Eappahannock.  As  yet  the  real  de 
sign  of  the  enemy  was  undeveloped.  The  movement  of 
General  Pope  might  or  might  not  be  a  real  advance.  But 
General  McClellan  remained  inactive,  and,  on  the  27th  of 
July,  A.  P.  Hill's  division  was  sent  up  to  reenforce  Jackson 
— while,  at  the  same  time,  General  D.  H.  Hill,  commanding 
a  force  on  the  south  bank  of  the  James  Eiver,  was  directed 


108  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

to  make  demonstrations  against  McClellan's  communica 
tions  by  opening  fire  on  his  transports. 

The  moment  approached  now  when  the  game  between 
the  two  adversaries  was  to  be  decided.  On  the  2d  of  Au 
gust,  Jackson  assumed  the  offensive,  by  attacking  the  enemy 
at  Orange  Court-House ;  and,  on  the  5th,  General  McClellan 
made  a  prompt  demonstration  to  prevent  Lee  from  sending 
him  further  reinforcements.  A  large  Federal  force  ad 
vanced  to  Malvern  Hill,  and  was  drawn  up  there  in  line  of 
battle,  with  every  indication  on  the  part  of  General  Mc- 
Clellan  of  an  intention  to  advance  anew  upon  Richmond. 
Lee  promptly  went  to  meet  him,  and  a  slight  engagement 
ensued  on  Curl's  Neck.  But,  on  the  next  morning,  the  Fed 
eral  army  had  disappeared,  and  the  whole  movement  was 
seen  to  have  been  a  feint. 

This  state  of  indecision  continued  until  nearly  the  middle 
of  August.  An  incident  then  occurred  which  clearly  indi 
cated  the  enemy's  intentions.  General  Burnside  was  known 
to  have  reached  Hampton  Roads  from  the  Southern  coast 
with  a  considerable  force,  and  the  direction  which  his  flo 
tilla  now  took  would  show  the  design  of  the  Federal  au 
thorities.  If  a  new  advance  -was  intended  from  the  James, 
the  flotilla  would  ascend  that  river ;  if  General  Pope's  army 
was  looked  to  for  the  real  movement,  General  Burnside 
would  go  in  that  direction.  The  secret  was  discovered  by 
the  afterward  celebrated  Colonel  John  S.  Mosby,  then  a  pri 
vate,  and  just  returned,  by  way  of  Fortress  Monroe,  from 
prison  in  "Washington.  He  ascertained,  when  he  disem 
barked,  that  Burnside's  flotilla  was  about  to  move  toward 
the  Rappahannock,  and,  aware  of  the  importance  of  the  in 
formation,  hastened  to  communicate  it  to  General  Lee.  He 


LEE'S  MANOEUVRES.  109 

was  admitted,  at  the  headquarters  of  the  latter  near  Rich 
mond,  to  a  private  interview,  and  when  General  Lee  had 
finished  his  conversation  with  the  plain-looking  individual, 
then  almost  unknown,  he  was  in  possession  of  the  informa 
tion  necessary  to  determine  his  plans.  The  Rappahannock, 
and  not  the  James,  was  seen  to  be  the  theatre  of  the  coming 
campaign,  and  General  Lee's  whole  attention  was  now  di 
rected  to  that  quarter. 

Jackson  had  already  struck  an  important  blow  there, 
cooperating  vigorously,  as  was  habitual  with  him,  in  the 
general  plan  of  action.  General  McClellan  had  endeavored 
by  a  feint  to  hold  Lee  at  Richmond.  By  a  battle  now, 
Jackson  hastened  the  retreat  of  the  army  under  McClellan 
from  James  River.  With  his  three  divisions,  Jackson 
crossed  the  Rapidan,  and,  on  the  9th  of  August,  attacked 
the  advance  force  of  General  Pope  at  Cedar  Mountain.  The 
struggle  was  obstinate,  and  at  one  time  Jackson's  left  was 
driven  back,  but  the  action  terminated  at  nightfall  in  the 
retreat  of  the  Federal  forces,  and  the  Confederate  commander 
remained  in  possession  of  the  field.  He  was  too  weak,  how 
ever,  to  hold  his  position  against  the  main  body  of  the  Fed 
eral  army,  which  was  known  to  be  approaching ;  he  accord 
ingly  recrossed  the  Rapidan  to  the  vicinity  of  Gordonsville, 
and  here  he  was  soon  afterward  joined  by  General  Lee,  with 
the  great  bulk  of  the  Confederate  army. 

Such  were  the  events  which  succeeded  the  battles  of  the 
Chickahominy,  transferring  hostilities  to  a  new  theatre,  and 
inaugurating  the  great  campaigns  of  the  summer  and  au 
tumn  of  1862  in  Northern  Virginia  and  Maryland. 


110  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

HI. 

LEE    ADVANCES    FROM    THE    RAPIDAN. 

GENERAL  LEE,  it  will  thus  be  seen,  had  proceeded  in  his 
military  manoeuvres  with  the  utmost  caution,  determined 
to  give  his  adversaries  no  advantage,  and  remain  in  front  of 
the  capital  until  it  was  free  from  all  danger.  But  for  the 
daring  assault  upon  General  McClellan,  on  the  Chicka- 
hominy,  his  critics  would  no  doubt  have  charged  him  with 
weakness  and  indecision  now ;  but,  under  any  circumstances, 
it  is  certain  that  he  would  have  proceeded  in  the  same  man 
ner,  conducting  operations  in  the  method  which  his  judg 
ment  approved. 

At  length  the  necessity  of  caution  had  disappeared. 
General  Burnside  had  gone  to  reenforce  General  Pope,  and 
a  portion  of  McClellan's  army  was  believed  to  have  followed. 
"  It  therefore  seemed,"  says  General  Lee,  "  that  active  op 
erations  on  the  James  were  no  longer  contemplated,"  and 
he  wisely  concluded  that  "  the  most  effectual  way  to  relieve 
Richmond  from  any  danger  of  attack  from  that  quarter 
would  be  to  reenforce  General  Jackson,  and  advance  upon 
General  Pope."  In  commenting  upon  these  words,  an  able 
writer  of  the  North  exclaims  :  "  Veracious  prophecy,  show 
ing  that  insight  which  is  one  of  the  highest  marks  of  gener 
alship  ! "  The  movement,  indeed,  was  the  right  proceeding, 
as  the  event  showed ;  and  good  generalship  may  be  defined 
to  be  the  power  of  seeing  what  is  the  proper  course,  and  the 
decision  of  character  which  leads  to  its  adoption. 

General  Lee  exhibited  throughout  his  career  this  mingled 
good  judgment  and  daring,  and  his  cautious  inactivity  waa 


LEE  ADVANCES   FKOM    THE  RAPIDIAN. 

now  succeeded  by  one  of  those  offensive  movements  which, 
if  we  may  judge  him,  by  his  subsequent  career,  seemed  to 
be  the  natural  bent  of  his  character.  With  the  bulk  of  his 
army,  he  marched  in  the  direction  of  General  Pope ;  the  rest 
were  speedily  ordered  to  follow,  and  active  operations  began 
for  driving  the  newly-formed  Federal  "  Army  of  Virginia  " 
back  toward  Washington. 

"We  have  presented  Lee's  order  for  the  attack  on  Gen 
eral  McClellan,  and  here  quote  his  order  of  march  for  the 
advance  against  General  Pope,  together  with  a  note  ad 
dressed  to  Stuart,  commanding  his  cavalry,  for  that  officer's 
guidance. 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 
August  19,  1862.  \ 

SPECIAL  OKDER  No.  185. 

I.  General  Longstreet's  command,  constituting  the  right  wing  of 
the  army,  will  cross  the  Rapidan  at  Raccoon  Ford,  and  moye  in  the 
direction  of  Culpepper   Court-House.      General  Jacksonrs  command, 
constituting  the  left  wing,  will  cross  at  Summerville  Ford,  and  move 
in  the  same  direction,  keeping  on  the  left  of  General  Longstreet.    Gen 
eral  Anderson's  division  will  cross  at  Summerville  Ford,  follow  the 
route  of  General  Jackson,  and  act  in  reserve.     The  battalion  of  light 
artillery,  under  Colonel  S.  D.  Lee,  will  take  the  same  route.    The  cav 
alry,  under  General  Stuart,  will  cross  at  Morton's  Ford,  pursue  the 
route  by  Stevensburg  to  Rappahannock  Station,  destroy  the  railroad 
bridge,  cut  the  enemy's  communications,  telegraph  line,  and,  operating 
toward  Culpepper  Court-House,  will  take  position  on  General  Long- 
street's  right. 

II.  The  commanders  of  each  wing  will  designate  the  reserve  for 
their  commands.    Medical  and  ammunition  wagons  will  alone  follow 
the  troops  across  the  Rapidan.    The  baggage  and  supply  trains  will 
be  parked  under  their  respective  officers,  in  secure  positions  on  the 
south  side,  so  as  not  to  embarrass  the  different  roads. 

HI.  Cooked  rations  for  three  days  will  be  carried  in  the  haversacks 


112  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

of  the  men,  and  provision  must  be  made  for  foraging  the  animals. 
Straggling  from  the  ranks  is  strictly  prohibited,  and  commanders  will 
make  arrangements  to  secure  and  punish  the  offenders. 

IV.  The  movements  herein  directed  will  commence  to-morrow,  20th 
instant,  at  dawn  of  day. 

By  command  of  General  R.  E.  Lee  : 

A.  P.  MASON,  A.  A.  G. 

HEADQUARTERS  CRENSHATV'S  FARM,  ) 
August  19,  1862.  f 

General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  commanding  Cavalry : 

GENERAL  :  I  desire  you  to  rest  your  men  to-day,  refresh  your  horses, 
prepare  rations  and  every  thing  for  the  march  to-morrow.  Get  what 
information  you  can  of  fords,  roads,  and  position  of  the  enemy,  so  that 
your  march  can  be  made  understandingly  and  with  vigor.  I  send  to 
you  Captain  Mason,  an  experienced  bridge-builder,  etc.,  whom  I  think 
will  be  able  to  aid  you  in  the  destruction  of  the  bridge,  etc.  When 
that  is  accomplished,  or  when  in  train  of  execution,  as  circumstances 
permit,  I  wish  you  to  operate  back  toward  Culpepper  Court-House, 
creating  such  confusion  and  consternation  as  you  can,  without  unneces 
sarily  exposing  your  men,  till  you  feel  Longstreet's  right.  Take  po 
sition  there  on  his  right,  and  hold  yourself  in  reserve,  and  act  as  circum 
stances  may  require.  I  wish  to  know  during  the  day  how  you  proceed 
in  your  preparations.  They  will  require  the  personal  attention  of  all 
your  officers.  The  last  reports  from  the  signal-stations  yesterday  even 
ing  were,  that  the  enemy  was  breaking  up  his  principal  encampments, 
and  moving  in  direction  of  Culpepper  Court-House. 

Very  ^espectfully,  etc.,  R.  E.  LEE,  General. 

These  orders  indicate  General  Lee's  design — to  reach  the 
left  flank  01  the  enemy,  prevent  his  retreat  by  destroying  the 
bridges  on  the  Rappahannock,  and  bring  him  to  battle  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Culpepper  Court-House.  The  plan 
failed  in  consequence  of  a  delay  of  two  days,  which  took 
place  in  its  execution — a  delay,  attributed  at  that  time,  we 


LEE  ADVANCES  FROM  THE  RAPIDAN. 

know  not  with  what  justice,  to  the  unnecessarily  deliberate 
movements  of  the  corps  commanded  by  General  Longstreet. 
This  delay  enabled  the  enemy  to  gain  information  of  the  in 
tended  movement ;  and  when  General  Lee  advanced  on  the 
20th  of  August,  instead  of  on  the  18th,  as  he  had  at  first  de 
termined  to  do,  it  was  found  that  General  Pope  had  broken 
up  his  camps,  and  was  in  rapid  retreat.  Lee  followed,  and 
reached  the  Eappahannock  only  to  find  that  the  Federal 
army  had  passed  that  stream.  General  Pope,  who  had 
promised  to  conduct  none  but  offensive  operations,  and  never 
look  to  the  rear,  had  thus  hastened  to  interpose  the  waters 
of  the  Rappahannock  between  himself  and  his  adversary, 
and,  when  General  Lee  approached,  he  found  every  crossing 
of  the  river  heavily  defended  by  the  Federal  infantry  and 
artillery. 

In  face  of  this  large  force  occupying  a  commanding  po 
sition  on  the  heights,  General  Lee  made  no  effort  to  cross. 
He  determined,  he  says,  "  not  to  attempt  the  passage  of  the 
river  at  that  point  with  the  army,"  but  to  "  seek  a  more 
favorable  place  to  cross,  higher  up  the  river,  and  thus  gain 
the  enemy's  right."  This  manoeuvre  was  intrusted  to  Jack 
son,  whose  corps  formed  the  Confederate  left  wing.  Jack 
son  advanced  promptly  to  the  Warrenton  Springs  Ford, 
which  had  been  selected  as  the  point  of  crossing,  dri  7e  away 
a  force  of  the  enemy  posted  at  the  place,  and  immediately 
began  to  pass  the  river  with  his  troops.  The  move™!  3nt  was 
however  interrupted  by  a  severe  rain-storm,  which  swelled  the 
waters  of  the  Eappahannock,  and  rendered  a  further  prose 
cution  of  it  impracticable.  General  Lee  was  thus  compelled 
to  give  up  that  plan,  and  ordered  Jackson  to  withdraw  the 
force  which  had  crossed.  This  was  done,  and  General  Lee 


THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

was  now  called  upon  to  adopt  some  other  method  of  attack; 
or  to  remain  inactive  in  face  of  the  enemy. 

But  to  remain  inactive  was  impossible.  The  army  must 
either  advance  or  retire ;  information  which  had  just  reached 
the  Confederate  general  rendered  one  of  these  two  proceed 
ings  indispensable.  The  information  referred  to  had  been 
obtained  by  General  Stuart.  The  activity  and  energy  of 
this  officer,  especially  in  gaining  intelligence,  now  proved,  as 
they  proved  often  afterward,  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
Lee.  Stuart  had  been  directed  by  General  Lee  to  make  an 
attack,  with  a  cavalry  force,  on  the  Orange  and  Alexandria 
Railroad,  in  the  enemy's  rear ;  he  had  promptly  carried  out 
his  orders  by  striking  the  Federal  communications  at  Cat- 
lett's  Station,  had  destroyed  there  all  that  he  found,  and  torn 
up  the  railroad,  but,  better  than  all,  had  captured  a  box  con 
taining  official  papers  belonging  to  General  Pope.  These 
papers,  which  Stuart  hastened — marching  day  and  night, 
through  storm  and  flood — to  convey  to  General  Lee,  pre 
sented  the  clearest  evidence  of  the  enemy's  movements  and 
designs.  Troops  were  hastening  from  every  direction  to  re- 
enforce  General  Pope,  the  entire  force  on  James  River  espe 
cially  was  to  be  brought  rapidly  north  of  the  Rappahan- 
nock,  and  any  delay  in  the  operations  of  the  Confederates 
would  thus  expose  them  to  attack  from  the  Federal  forces 
concentrated  from  all  quarters  in  their  front. 


JACKSON  FLANKS  GENERAL  POPE.         115 

IY. 

JACKSON    FLANKS    GENEEAL    POPE. 

IT  was  thus  necessary  to  act  with  decision,  and  General 
Lee  resolved  upon  a  movement  apparently  of  the  most  reck 
less  character.  This  was  to  separate  his  army  into  two 
parts,  and,  while  one  remained  confronting  the  enemy  on  the 
Bappahannock,  send  the  other  by  a  long  circuit  to  fall  on 
the  Federal  rear  near  Manassas.  This  plan  of  action  was 
opposed  to  the  first  rule  of  the  military  art,  that  a  general 
should  never  divide  his  force  in  the  face  of  an  enemy.  That 
Lee  ventured  to  do  so  on  this  occasion  can  only  be  explained 
on  one  hypothesis,  that  he  did  not  highly  esteem  the  mili 
tary  ability  of  his  opponent.  These  flank  attacks  undoubt 
edly,  however,  possessed  a  great  attraction  for  him,  as  they 
did  for  Jackson,  and,  in  preferring  such  movement,  Lee  was 
probably  actuated  both  by  the  character  of  the  troops  on 
both  sides  and  by  the  nature  of  the  country.  The  men  of 
both  armies  were  comparatively  raw  levies,  highly  suscep 
tible  to  the  influence  of  "  surprise,"  and  the  appearance  of 
an  enemy  on  their  flanks,  or  in  their  rear,  was  calculated  to 
throw  them  into  disorder.  The  wooded  character  of  the 
theatre  of  war  generally  rendered  such  movements  practi 
cable,  and  all  that  was  requisite  was  a  certain  amount  of 
daring  in  the  commander  who  was  called  upon  to  decide 
upon  them.  This  daring  Lee  repeatedly  exhibited,  and  the 
uniform  success  of  the  movements  indicates  his  sound  gen 
eralship. 

To  command  the  force  which  was  now  to  go  on  the 
perilous  errand  of  striking  General  Pope's  rear,  General 


116  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

Lee  selected  Jackson,  who  had  exhibited  such  promptness 
and  decision  in  the  campaigns  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia. 
Eapidity  of  movement  was  necessary  above  all  things,  and, 
if  any  one  could  be  relied  upon  for  that,  it  was  the  now  famous 
Stonewall  Jackson.  To  him  the  operation  was  accordingly 
intrusted,  and  his  corps  was  at  once  put  in  motion.  Cross 
ing  the  Eappahannock  at  an  almost  forgotten  ford,  high  up 
and  out  of  view  of  the  Federal  right,  Jackson  pushed  for 
ward  day  and  night  toward  Manassas,  reached  Thorough 
fare  Gap,  in  the  Bull  Eun  Mountain,  west  of  that  place, 
passed  through,  and  completely  destroyed  the  great  mass 
of  supplies  in  the  Federal  depot  at  Manassas.  The  whole 
movement  had  been  made  with  such  rapidity,  and  General 
Stuart,  commanding  the  cavalry,  had  so  thoroughly  guarded 
the  flank  of  the  advancing  column  from  observation,  that 
Manassas  was  a  mass  of  smoking  ruins  almost  before  Gen 
eral  Pope  was  aware  of  the  real  danger.  Intelligence  soon 
reached  him,  however,  of  the  magnitude  of  the  blow  aimed 
by  Lee,  and,  hastily  breaking  up  his  camps  on  the  Eappa- 
hannock,  he  hurried  to  attack  the  force  assailing  his  com 
munications. 

The  first  part  of  General  Lee's  plan  had  thus  fully  suc 
ceeded.  General  Pope,  who  had  occupied  every  ford  of  the 
Eappahannock,  so  as  to  render  the  passage  difficult,  if  not 
impossible,  had  disappeared  suddenly,  to  go  and  attack  the 
enemy  in  his  rear.  General  Lee  promptly  moved  in  his 
turn,  with  the  great  corps  under  Longstreet,  and  pushed 
toward  Manassas,  over  nearly  the  same  road  followed  by 
Jackson. 


LEE  FOLLOWS.  117 

y. 

LEE    FOLLOWS. 

THE  contest  of  generalship  had  now  fully  begun,  and 
the  brain  of  General  Lee  was  matched  against  the  brain  of 
General  Pope.  It  is  no  part  of  the  design  of  the  writer  of 
this  volume  to  exalt  unduly  the  reputation  of  Lee,  and  de 
tract  from  the  credit  due  his  adversaries.  Justice  has  been 
sought  to  be  done  to  General  McClellan ;  the  same  measure 
of  justice  will  be  dealt  out  to  his  successors  on  the  Federal 
side  ;  nor  is  it  calculated  to  elevate  the  fame  of  Lee,  to  show 
th&t  his  opponents  were  incapable  and  inefficient.  Of  Gen 
eral  Pope,  however,  it  must  be  said  that  he  suffered  himself 
to  be  outgeneralled  in  every  particular  ;  and  the  pithy  com 
ment  of  General  Lee,  that  he  "  did  not  appear  to  be  aware 
of  his  situation,"  sums  up  the  whole  subject. 

It  is  beyond  our  purpose  to  enter  upon  any  thing  resem 
bling  a  detailed  narrative  of  the  confused  and  complicated 
movements  of  the  various  corps  of  the  army  under  General 
Pope.  These  have  been  the  subject  of  the  severest  criti 
cism  by  his  own  followers.  We  shall  simply  notice  the 
naked  events.  Jackson  reached  Manassas  on  the  night  of 
August  26th,  took  it,  and  on  the  next  day  destroyed  the 
great  depot.  General  Pope  was  hastening  to  protect  it,  but 
was  delayed  by  Ewell  at  Bristoe,  and  a  force  sent  up  from 
Washington,  under  the  brave  General  Taylor,  was  driven 
off  with  loss.  Then,  having  achieved  his  aim,  Jackson  fell 
back  toward  Sudley. 

If  the  reader  will  look  at  the  map,  he  will  now  under 
stand  the  exact  condition  of  affairs.  Jackson  had  burned 


118  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

the  Federal  depot  of  supplies,  and  retired  before  the  great 
force  hastening  to  rescue  them.  He  had  with  him  about 
twenty  thousand  men,  and  General  Pope's  force  was  proba 
bly  triple  that  number.  Thus,  the  point  was  to  hold  Gen 
eral  Pope  at  arm Vlength  until  the  arrival  of  Lee ;  and,  to 
accomplish  this  great  end,  Jackson  fell  back  beyond  Grove- 
ton.  There  he  formed  line  of  battle,  and  waited. 

It  is  obvious  that,  under  these  circumstances,  the  true 
policy  of  General  Pope  was  to  obstruct  Thoroughfare  Gap, 
the  only  road  by  which  Lee  could  approach  promptly,  and 
then  crush  Jackson.  On  the  night  of  the  27th,  General 
McDowell  was  accordingly  sent  thither  with  forty  thousand 
men ;  but  General  Pope  ordered  him,  on  the  next  morning, 
to  Manassas,  where  he  hoped  to  "  bag  the  whole  crowd," 
he  said — that  is  to  say,  the  force  under  Jackson.  This  was 
the  fatal  mistake  made  by  General  Pope.  Thoroughfare 
Gap  was  comparatively  undefended.  While  General  Pope 
was  marching  to  attack  Jackson,  who  had  disappeared,  it 
was  the  next  thing  to  a  certainty  that  General  Lee  would 
attack  him. 

All  parties  were  thus  moving  to  and  fro ;  but  the  Con 
federates  enjoyed  the  very  great  advantage  over  General 
Pope  of  knowing  precisely  how  affairs  stood,  and  of  having 
determined  upon  their  own  plan  of  operations.  Jackson, 
with  his  back  to  the  mountain,  was  waiting  for  Lee.  Lee 
was  approaching  rapidly,  to  unite  the  two  halves  of  his 
army.  General  Pope,  meanwhile,  was  marching  and  coun 
termarching,  apparently  ignorant  of  the  whereabouts  of 
Jackson,*  and  undecided  what  course  to  pursue. 

General  Lee,  in  personal  command  of  Longstreet's  corps, 

*  "  Not  knowing  at  the  time  where  was  the  enemy."—  General  Porter. 


LEE  FOLLOWS.  119 

reached  the  western  end  of  Thoroughfare  Gap  about  sunset, 
on  the  28th,  and  the  sound  of  artillery  from  the  direction  of 
Groveton  indicated  that  Jackson  and  General  Pope  had 
come  in  collision.  Jackson  had  himself  brought  on  this 
engagement  by  attacking  the  flank  of  one  of  General  Pope's 
various  columns,  as  it  marched  across  his  front,  over  the 
"Warrenton  road,  and  this  was  the  origin  of  the  sound  wafted 
to  General  Lee's  ears  as  he  came  in  sight  of  Thoroughfare. 
It  was  certainly  calculated  to  excite  his  nerves  if  they  were 
capable  of  being  excited.  Jackson  was  evidently  engaged, 
and  the  disproportion  between  his  forces  and  those  of  Gen 
eral  Pope  rendered  such  an  engagement  extremely  critical. 
Lee  accordingly  pressed  forward,  reached  the  Gap,  and  the 
advance  force  suddenly  halted :  the  Gap  was  defended.  The 
Federal  force  posted  here,  at  the  eastern  opening  of  the 
Gap,  was  small,  and  wholly  inadequate  for  the  purpose ;  but 
this  was  as  yet  unknown  to  General  Lee.  His  anxiety  under 
these  circumstances  must  have  been  great.  Jackson  might 
be  crushed  before  his  arrival.  He  rode  up  to  the  summit  of 
the  commanding  hill  which  rises  just  west  of  the  Gap,  and 
dismounting  directed  his  field-glass  toward  the  shaggy  de 
file  in  front. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  chanced  to  be  near  the  Con 
federate  commander  at  this  moment,  and  was  vividly  im 
pressed  by  the  air  of  unmoved  calmness  which  marked  his 
countenance  and  demeanor.  Nothing  in  the  expression  of 
his  face,  and  no  hurried  movement,  indicated  excitement  or 
anxiety.  Here,  as  on  many  other  occasions,  Lee  impressed 
the  writer  as  an  individual  gifted  with  the  most  surprising 
faculty  of  remaining  cool  and  unaffected  in  the  midst  of  cir 
cumstances  calculated  to  arouse  the  most  phlegmatic.  After 


120  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

reconnoitring  for  some  moments  without  moving,  lie  closed 
his  glass  slowly,  as  though  he  were  buried  in  reflection, 
and  deliberating  at  his  leisure,  and,  walking  back  slowly  to 
his  horse,  mounted  and  rode  down  the  hill. 

The  attack  was  not  delayed,  and  flanking  columns  were 
sent  to  cross  north  of  the  Gap  and  assail  the  enemy's  rear. 
But  the  assault  in  front  was  successful.  The  small  force  of 
the  enemy  at  the  eastern  opening  of  the  Gap  retired,  and, 
by  nine  o'clock  at  night,  General  Longstreet's  corps  was 
passing  through. 

All  the  next  morning  (August  29th),  Longstreet's  troops 
were  coming  into  position  on  the  right  of  Jackson,  under 
the  personal  supervision  of  Lee.  By  noon  the  line  of  battle 
was  formed.*  Lee's  army  was  once  more  united.  General 
Pope  had  not  been  able  to  crush  less  than  one-half  that 
army,  for  twenty-four  hours  nearly  in  his  clutches,  and  it 
did  not  seem  probable  that  he  would  meet  with  greater  suc 
cess,  now  that  the  whole  was  concentrated  and  held  in  the 
firm  hand  of  Lee. 

YI. 

THE    SECOND    BATTLE    OF    MANASSAS. 

LEE'S  order  of  battle  for  the  coming  action  was  peculiar. 
It  resembled  an  open  Y,  with  the  opening  toward  the  ene 
my — Jackson's  corps  forming  the  left  wing,  and  extending 

*  The  hour  of  Longstreet's  arrival  has  been  strangely  a  subject  of  discus 
sion.  The  truth  is  stated  in  the  reports  of  Lee,  Longstreet,  Jones,  and  other 
officers.  But  General  Pope  was  ignorant  of  Longstreet's  presence  at  Jive  in  the 
evening  ;  and  General  Porter,  his  subordinate,  was  dismissed  from  the  army  for 
,not  at  that  hour  attacking  Jackson's  right,  declared  by  General  Pope  to  be  un 
defended.  Longstreet  was  in  line  of  battle  by  noon. 


THE  SECOND  BATTLE  OF  MANASSAS.  121 

from  near  Sudley,  to  a  point  in  rear  of  the  small  village  of 
Groveton,  Longstreet's  corps  forming  the  right  wing,  and 
reaching  from  Jackson's  right  to  and  beyond  the  "Warren- 
ton  road  which  runs  to  Stonebridge. 

The  field  of  battle  was  nearly  identical  with  that  of  July 
21,  1861.  The  only  difference  was,  that  the  Confederates 
occupied  the  ground  formerly  held  by  the  Federal  troops, 
and  that  the  latter  attacked,  as  Johnston  and  Beauregard 
had  attacked,  from  the  direction  of  Manassas,  and  the  table 
land  around  the  well-known  Henry  House. 

The  Southern  order  of  battle  seems  to  have  contemplated 
a  movement  on  one  or  both  of  General  Pope's  flanks  while 
he  attacked  in  front.  An  assault  on  either  wing  would  ex 
pose  him  to  danger  from  the  other,  and  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  fate  of  the  battle  was  decided  by  this  judicious  arrange 
ment  of  the  Confederate  commander. 

The  action  began  a  little  after  noon,  when  the  Federal 
right,  consisting  of  the  troops  of  Generals  Banks,  Sigel,  and 
others,  advanced  and  made  a  vigorous  attack  on  Jackson's 
left,  under  A.  P.  Hill.  An  obstinate  conflict  ensued,  the 
opposing  lines  fighting  almost  bayonet  to  bayonet,  "  deliv 
ering  their  volleys  into  each  other  at  the  distance  of  ten 
paces."  At  the  first  charge,  an  interval  between  two  of 
Hill's  brigades  was  penetrated  by  the  enemy,  and  that  wing 
of  Jackson's  corps  was  in  great  danger  of  being  driven  back. 
This  disaster  was,  however,  prevented  by  the  prompt  stand 
made  by  two  or  three  regiments  ;  the  enemy  was  checked, 
and  a  prompt  counter-charge  drove  the  Federal  assaulting 
columns  back  into  the  woods. 

The  attempt  to  break  Jackson's  line  at  this  point  was 
not,  however,  abandoned.  The  Federal  troops  returned 


122  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

again  and  again  to  the  encounter,  and  General  Hill  reported 
"  six  separate  and  distinct  assaults  "  made  upon  him.  They 
were  all  repulsed,  in  which  important  assistance  was  ren 
dered  by  General  Early.  That  brave  officer  attacked  with 
vigor,  and,  aided  by  the  fire  of  the  Confederate  artillery 
from  the  elevated  ground  in  Jackson's  rear,  drove  the  ene 
my  before  him  with  such  slaughter  that  one  of  their  regi 
ments  is  said  to  have  carried  back  but  three  men. 

This  assault  of  the  enemy  had  been  of  so  determined  a 
character,  that  General  Lee,  in  order  to  relieve  his  left,  had 
directed  Hood  and  Evans,  near  his  centre,  to  advance  and 
attack  the  left  of  the  assaulting  column.  Hood  was  about 
to  do  so,  when  he  found  a  heavy  force  advancing  to  charge 
his  own  line.  A  warm  engagement  followed,  which  resulted 
in  the  repulse  of  the  enemy,  and  Hood  followed  them  a  con 
siderable  distance,  inflicting  heavy  loss. 

It  was  now  nearly  nine  o'clock  at  night,  and  the  dark 
ness  rendered  further  operations  impossible.  The  troops 
which  had  driven  the  enemy  were  recalled  from  their  ad 
vanced  position,  the  Southern  line  was  reformed  on  the 
same  ground  occupied  at  the  commencement  of  the  action, 
and  General  Lee  prepared  for  the  more  decisive  struggle  of 
the  next  day. 

Morning  came  (August  30th),  but  all  the  forenoon  passed 
without  a  resumption  of  the  battle.  Each  of  the  adversaries 
seemed  to  await  some  movement  on  the  part  of  the  other, 
and  the  Federal  commander  made  heavy  feints  against  both 
the  Confederate  right  and  left,  with  the  view  of  discovering 
some  weak  point,  or  of  inducing  Lee  to  lay  himself  open  to 
attack.  These  movements  had,  however,  no  effect.  Lee  re 
mained  obstinately  in  his  strong  position,  rightly  estimating 


THE  SECOND  BATTLE   OF  MANASSAS.  123 

the  advantage  it  gave  him,  and  no  doubt  taking  into  con 
sideration  the  want  of  supplies  General  Pope  must  labor 
under,  a  deficiency  which  rendered  a  prompt  assault  on  his 
part  indispensable.  The  armies  thus  remained  in  face  of 
each  other,  without  serious  efforts  upon  either  side,  until 
nearly  or  quite  the  hour  of  three  in  the  afternoon. 

General  Pope  then  resumed  the  assault  on  Lee's  left, 
under  Jackson,  with  his  best  troops.  The  charge  was  furi 
ous,  and  a  bloody  struggle  ensued ;  but  Jackson  succeeded 
in  repulsing  the  force.  It  fell  back  in  disorder,  but  was  suc 
ceeded  by  a  second  and  a  third  line,  which  rushed  forward 
at  the  "  double-quick,"  in  a  desperate  attempt  to  break  the 
Southern  line.  These  new  attacks  were  met  with  greater 
obstinacy  than  at  first,  and,  just  as  the  opponents  had  closed 
in,  a  heavy  fire  was  directed  against  the  Federal  column  by 
Colonel  S.  D.  Lee,  commanding  the  artillery  at  Lee's  cen 
tre.  This  fire,  which  was  of  the  most  rapid  and  destructive 
character,  struck  the  enemy  in  front  and  flank  at  once,  and 
seemed  to  sweep  back  the  charging  brigades  as  they  came. 
The  fire  of  the  cannon  was  then  redoubled,  and  Jackson's 
line  advanced  with  cheers.  Before  this  charge,  the  Federal 
line  broke,  and  Jackson  pressed  forward,  allowing  them  no 
respite. 

General  Lee  then  threw  forward  Longstreet,  who,  know 
ing  what  was  expected  of  him,  was  already  moving.  The 
enemy  were  pressed  thus  in  front  and  on  their  flank,  as  Lee 
had  no  doubt  intended,  in  forming  his  peculiar  line.  The 
corps  of  Jackson  and  Longstreet  closed  in  like  two  iron 
arms ;  the  Federal  forces  were  driven  from  position  to  po 
sition  ;  the  glare  of  their  cannon,  more  and  more  distant,  in 
dicated  that  they  had  abandoned  further  contest,  and  at  ten 


124  THE  WAR  ADVANCES  NORTHWARD. 

at  night  the  darkness  put  an  end  to  the  battle  and  pursuit. 
General  Pope  was  retreating  with  his  defeated  forces  toward 
"Washington. 

On  the  next  day,  Lee  dispatched  Jackson  to  turn  Centre- 
ville  and  cut  off  the  retreat  of  General  Pope.  The  result 
was  a  severe  engagement  near  Germantown,  which  was  put 
an  end  to  by  a  violent  storm.  General  Pope,  now  reenforced 
by  the  commands  of  Generals  Sumner  and  Franklin,  had  been 
enabled  to  hold  his  ground  until  night.  "When,  on  the  next 
day  (September  2d),  the  Confederates  advanced  to  Fairfax 
Court-House,  it  was  found  that  the  entire  Federal  army  was 
in  rapid  retreat  upon  Washington. 

Such  had  been  the  fate  of  General  Pope. 


PAET  Y. 
LEE    INVADES    MARYLAND. 


I. 

HIS    DESIGNS. 

THE  defeat  of  General  Pope  opened  the  way  for  move 
ments  not  contemplated,  probably,  by  General  Lee,  when  he 
marched  from  Richmond  to  check  the  advance  in  Culpep- 
per.  His  object  at  that  time  was  doubtless  simply  to  arrest 
the  forward  movement  of  the  new  force  threatening  Gor- 
donsville.  Now,  however,  the  position  of  the  pieces  on  the 
great  chess-board  of  war  had  suddenly  changed,  and  it  was 
obviously  Lee's  policy  to  extract  all  the  advantage  possible 
from  the  new  condition  of  things. 

He  accordingly  determined  to  advance  into  Maryland — 
the  fortifications  in  front  of  Washington,  and  the  interpo 
sition  of  the  Potomac,  a  broad  stream  easily  defended,  ren 
dering  a  movement  in  that  direction  unpromising.  On  the 
3d  of  September,  therefore,  and  without  waiting  to  rest  his 
army,  which  was  greatly  fatigued  with  the  nearly  continu 
ous  marching  and  fighting  since  it  had  left  the  Eapidan, 
General  Lee  moved  toward  Leesburg,  crossed  his  forces  near 
that  place,  and  to  the  music  of  the  bands  playing  the  popu- 


126  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

lar  air,  "  Maryland,  my  Maryland,"  advanced  to  Frederick 
City,  which  he  occupied  on  the  7th  of  September. 

Lee's  object  in  invading  Maryland  has  been  the  subject 
of  much  discussion,  one  party  holding  the  view  that  his  sole 
aim  was  to  surround  and  capture  a  force  of  nine  or  ten  thou 
sand  Federal  troops  stationed  at  Harper's  Ferry ;  and  an 
other  party  maintaining  that  he  proposed  an  invasion  of 
Pennsylvania  as  far  as  the  Susquehanna,  intending  to  fight 
a  decisive  battle  there,  and  advance  thereafter  upon  Phila 
delphia,  Baltimore,  or  "Washington.  The  course  pursued  by 
an  army  commander  is  largely  shaped  by  the  progress  of 
events.  It  can  only  be  said  that  General  Lee,  doubtless, 
left  the  future  to  decide  his  ultimate  movements;  mean 
while  he  had  a  distinct  and  clearly-defined  aim,  which  he 
states  in  plain  words. 

His  object  was  to  draw  the  Federal  forces  out  of  Vir 
ginia  first.  The  movement  culminating  in  the  victory  over 
the  enemy  at  Manassas  had  produced  the  effect  of  paralyz 
ing  them  in  every  quarter.  On  the  coast  of  North  Carolina, 
in  Western  Virginia,  and  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  had 
been  heard  the  echo  of  the  great  events  in  Middle  and 
Northern  Virginia.  General  Burnside's  force  had  been 
brought  up  from  the  South,  leaving  affairs  at  a  stand-still  in 
that  direction ;  and,  contemporaneously  with  the  retreat  of 
General  Pope,  the  Federal  forces  at  Washington  and  beyond 
had  fallen  back  to  the  Potomac.  This  left  the  way  open, 
and  Lee's  farther  advance,  it  was  obvious,  would  now  com 
pletely  clear  Virginia  of  her  invaders.  The  situation  of  af 
fairs,  and  the  expected  results,  are  clearly  stated  by  General 
Lee: 

"  The  war  was  thus  transferred,"  he  says,  "  from  the  in- 


HIS  DESIGNS.  127 

terior  to  the  frontier,  and  the  supplies  of  rich  and  productive 
districts  made  accessible  to  our  army.  To  prolong  a  state 
of  affairs  in  every  way  desirable,  and  not  to  permit  the  sea 
son  for  active  operations  to  pass  without  endeavoring  to  in 
flict  other  injury  upon  the  enemy,  the  best  course  appeared 
to  be  the  transfer  of  the  army  into  Maryland." 

The  state  of  things  in  Maryland  was  another  important 
consideration.  That  great  Commonwealth  was  known  to  be 
sectionally  divided  in  its  sentiment  toward  the  Federal  Gov 
ernment,  the  eastern  portion  adhering  generally  to  the  side 
of  the  South,  and  the  western  portion  generally  to  the  Fed 
eral  side.  But,  even  as  high  up  as  Frederick,  it  was  hoped 
that  the  Southern  cause  would  find  adherents  and  volunteers 
to  march  under  the  Confederate  banner.  If  this  portion  of 
the  population  had  only  the  opportunity  to  choose  their  part, 
imterrified  by  Federal  bayonets,  it  was  supposed  they  would 
decide  for  the  South.  In  any  event,  the  movement  would 
be  important.  The  condition  of  affairs  in  Maryland,  Gen 
eral  Lee  says,  "  encouraged  the  belief  that  the  presence  of 
our  army,  however  inferior  to  that  of  the  enemy,  would  in 
duce  the  Washington  Government  to  retain  all  its  available 
force  to  provide  for  contingencies  which  its  course  toward 
the  people  of  that  State  gave  it  reason  to  apprehend,"  and 
to  cross  the  Potomac  "  might  afford  us  an  opportunity  to  aid 
the  citizens  of  Maryland  in  any  efforts  they  might  be  dis 
posed  to  make  to  recover  their  liberty." 

It  may  be  said,  in  summing  up  on  this  point,  that  Lee 
expected  volunteers  to  enroll  themselves  under  his  standard, 
tempted  to  do  so  by  the  hope  of  throwing  off  the  yoke  of  the 
Federal  Government,  and  the  army  certainly  shared  this  ex 
pectation.  The  identity  of  sentiment  generally  between  the 


128  I^E  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

people  of  the  States  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  their 
strong  social  ties  in  the  past,  rendered  this  anticipation  rea 
sonable,  and  the  feeling  of  the  country  at  the  result  after 
ward  was  extremely  bitter. 

Such  were  the  first  designs  of  Lee;  his  ultimate  aim 
seems  as  clear.  By  advancing  into  Maryland  and  threaten 
ing  Baltimore  and  "Washington,  he  knew  that  he  would 
force  the  enemy  to  withdraw  all  their  troops  from  the  south 
bank  of  the  Potomac,  where  they  menaced  the  Confederate 
communications  with  Richmond;  when  this  was  accom 
plished,  as  it  clearly  would  be,  his  design  was,  to  cross  the 
Maryland  extension  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  called  there  the 
South  Mountain,  advance  by  way  of  Hagerstown  into  the 
Cumberland  Valley,  and,  by  thus  forcing  the  enemy  to  fol 
low  him,  draw  them  to  a  distance  from  their  base  of  sup 
plies,  while  his  own  communications  would  remain  open  by 
way  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  This  was  essentially  the 
same  plan  pursued  in  the  campaign  of  1863,  which  termi 
nated  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  General  Lee's  movements 
now  indicated  similar  intentions.  He  doubtless  wished,  in 
the  first  place,  to  compel  the  enemy  to  pursue  him — then  to 
lead  them  as  far  as  was  prudent — and  then,  if  circumstances 
were  favorable,  bring  them  to  decisive  battle,  success  in 
which  promised  to  open  for  him  the  gates  of  "Washington 
or  Baltimore,  and  end  the  war. 

It  will  now  be  seen  how  the  delay  caused  by  the  move 
ment  of  Jackson  against  Harper's  Ferry,  and  the  discovery 
by  General  McClellan  of  the  entire  arrangement  devised  by 
Lee  for  that  purpose,  caused  the  failure  of  this  whole  ulte 
rior  design. 


LEE  IN  MARYLAND.  129 

II. 
LEE    IN    MARYLAND. 

THE  Southern  army  was  concentrated  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  Frederick  City  by  the  7th  of  September,  and  on  the 
next  day  General  Lee  issued  an  address  to  the  people  of 
Maryland. 

"We  have  not  burdened  the  present  narrative  with  Lee's 
army  orders  and  other  official  papers ;  but  the  great  force 
and  dignity  of  this  address  render  it  desirable  to  present  it 
in  full : 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 

NEAR  FREDERICK/TOWN,  September  8,  1862.  ) 

To  the  People  of  Maryland  : 

It  is  right  that  you  should  know  the  purpose  that  has  brought  the 
army  under  my  command  within  the  limits  of  your  State,  so  far  as  that 
purpose  concerns  yourselves. 

The  people  of  the  Confederate  States  have  long  watched  with  the 
deepest  sympathy  the  wrongs  and  outrages  that  have  been  inflicted 
upon  th*e  citizens  of  a  Commonwealth  allied  to  the  States  of  the  South 
by  the  strongest  social,  political,  and  commercial  ties. 

They  have  seen,  with  profound  indignation,  their  sister  State  de 
prived  of  every  right,  and  reduced  to  the  condition  of  a  conquered 
province.  Under  the  pretence  of  supporting  the  Constitution,  but  in 
violation  of  its  most  valuable  provisions,  your  citizens  have  been 
arrested  and  imprisoned  upon  no  charge,  and  contrary  to  all  forms  of 
law.  The  faithful  and  manly  protest  against  this  outrage,  made  by 
the  venerable  and  illustrious  Marylanders — to  whom  in  better  days  no 
citizen  appealed  for  right  in  vain — was  treated  with  scorn  and  con 
tempt.  The  government  of  your  chief  city  has  been  usurped  by  armed 
strangers ;  your  Legislature  has  been  dissolved  by  the  unlawful  arrest 
of  its  members ;  freedom  of  the  press  and  of  speech  have  been  sup 
pressed  ;  words  have  been  declared  offences  by  an  arbitrary  desire  of 


130  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

the  Federal  Executive,  and  citizens  ordered  to  be  tried  by  military 
commission  for  what  they  may  dare  to  speak. 

Believing  that  the  people  of  Maryland  possessed  a  spirit  too  lofty 
to  submit  to  such  a  government,  the  people  of  the  South  have  long 
wished  to  aid  you  in  throwing  off  this  foreign  yoke,  to  enable  you 
again  to  enjoy  the  inalienable  rights  of  freemen,  and  restore  indepen 
dence  and  sovereignty  to  your  State. 

In  obedience  to  this  wish,  our  army  has  come  among  you,  and  is 
prepared  to  assist  you,  with  the  power  of  its  arms,  in  regaining  the 
rights  of  which  you  have  been  despoiled.  This,  citizens  of  Maryland, 
is  our  mission,  so  far  as  you  are  concerned.  No  constraint  upon  your 
free  will  is  intended — no  intimidation  will  be  allowed.  "Within  the 
limits  of  this  army,  at  least,  Marylanders  shall  once  more  enjoy  their 
ancient  freedom  of  thought  and  speech.  We  know  no  enemies  among 
you,  and  will  protect  all  of  every  opinion.  It  is  for  you  to  decide 
your  destiny,  freely,  and  without  constraint.  This  army  will  respect 
your  choice,  whatever  it  may  be ;  and,  while  the  Southern  people  will 
rejoice  to  welcome  you  to  your  natural  position  among  them,  they  will 
only  welcome  you  when  you  come  of  your  own  free  will. 

B.  E.  LEE,  General  commanding. 

This  address,  full  of  grave  dignity,  and  highly  character 
istic  of  the  Confederate  commander,  was  in  vivid  contrast 
with  the  harsh  orders  of  General  Pope  in  Culpepper.  The 
accents  of  friendship  and  persuasion  were  substituted  for 
the  "  rod  of  iron."  There  would  be  no  coercive  measures ; 
no  arrests,  with  the  alternative  presented  of  an  oath  to 
support  the  South,  or  instant  banishment.  E"o  intimidation 
would  be  permitted.  In  the  lines  of  the  Southern  army,  at 
least,  Marylanders  should  enjoy  freedom  of  thought  and 
speech,  and  every  man  should  "  decide  his  destiny  freely, 
and  without  constraint." 

This  address,  couched  in  terms  of  such  dignity,  had  little 


LEE  IN  MARYLAND. 

effect  upon  the  people.  Either  their  sentiment  in  favor  of 
the  Union  was  too  strong,  or  they  found  nothing  in  the 
condition  of  affairs  to  encourage  their  Southern  feelings. 
A  large  Federal  force  was  known  to  be  advancing ;  Lee's 
army,  in  tatters,  and  almost  without  supplies,  presented  a 
very  uninviting  appearance  to  recruits,  and  few  joined  his 
standard,  the  population  in  general  remaining  hostile  or 
neutral. 

The  condition  of  the  army  was  indeed  forlorn.  It  was 
worn  down  by  marching  and  fighting  ;  the  men  had  scarcely 
shoes  upon  their  feet ;  and,  above  the  tattered  figures, 
flaunting  their  rags  in  the  sunshine,  were  seen  gaunt  and 
begrimed  faces,  in  which  could  be  read  little  of  the  "  ro 
mance  of  war."  The  army  was  in  no  condition  to  under 
take  an  invasion ;  "  lacking  much  of  the  material  of  war, 
feeble  in  transportation,  poorly  provided  with  clothing,  and 
thousands  of  them  destitute  of  shoes,"  is  Lee's  description 
of  his  troops.  Such  was  the  condition  of  the  better  portion 
of  the  force ;  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Potomac,  scattered 
along  the  hills,  could  be  seen  a  weary,  ragged,  hungry,  and 
confused  multitude,  who  had  dragged  along  in  rear  of  the 
rest,  unable  to  keep  up,  and  whose  miserable  appearance 
said  little  for  the  prospects  of  the  army  to  which  they  be 
longed. 

From  these  and  other  causes  resulted  the  general  apathy 
of  the  Marylanders,  and  Lee  soon  discovered  that  he  must 
look  solely  to  his  own  men  for  success  in  his  future  move 
ments.  He  faced  that  conviction  courageously ;  and,  with 
out  uttering  a  word  of  comment,  or  indulging  in  any  species 
of  crimination  against  the  people  of  Maryland,  resolutely 
commenced  his  movements  looking  to  the  capture  of  Har- 


132  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

per's  Ferry  and  the  invasion  of  Pennsylvania.*  The 
promises  of  his  address  had  been  kept.  ISTo  one  had  been 
forced  to  follow  the  Southern  flag ;  and  now,  when  the 
people  turned  their  backs  upon  it,  closing  the  doors  of  the 
houses  in  the  faces  of  the  Southern  troops,  they  remained 
unmolested.  Lee  had  thus  given  a  practical  proof  of  the 
sincerity  of  his  character.  He  had  promised  nothing  which 
he  had  not  performed ;  and  in  Maryland,  as  afterward  in 
Pennsylvania,  in  1863,  he  remained  firm  against  the  tempta- 
tation  to  adopt  the  harsh  course  generally  pursued  by  the 
commanders  of  invading  armies.  He  seems  to  have  pro 
ceeded  on  the  principle  that  good  faith  is  as  essential  in 
public  affairs  as  in  private,  and  to  have  resolved  that,  in 
any  event,  whether  of  victory  or  disaster,  his  enemies 
should  not  have  it  in  their  power  to  say  that  he  broke  his 
plighted  word,  or  acted  in  a  manner  unbecoming  a  Christian 
gentleman. 

Prompt  action  was  now  necessary.  The  remnants  of 
General  Pope's  army,  greatly  scattered  and  disorganized  by 
the  severe  battle  of  Manassas,  had  been  rapidly  reformed 
and  brought  into  order  again,  and  to  this  force  was  added 
a  large  number  of  new  troops,  hurried  forward  from  the 
Northern  States  to  "Washington.  This  new  army  was  not  to 
be  commanded  by  General  Pope,  who  had  been  weighed  and 

*  The  reader  will  perceive  that  the  intent  to  invade  Pennsylvania  is  re 
peatedly  attributed  in  these  pages  to  General  Lee.  His  own  expression  is, 
"  by  threatening  Pennsylvania,  to  induce  the  enemy,"  etc.  That  he  designed 
invasion,  aided  by  the  recruits  anticipated  in  Maryland,  seems  unquestionable ; 
since,  even  after  discovering  the  lukewarmness  of  the  people  there  by  the  fact 
that  few  joined  his  standard,  he  still  advanced  to  Hagerstown,  but  a  step  from 
the  Pennsylvania  line.  These  facts  have  induced  the  present  writer  to  attribute 
the  design  of  actual  invasion  to  Lee  with  entire  confidence ;  and  all  the  circum 
stances  seem  to  him  to  support  that  hypothesis. 


MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  TWO  ARMIES.  133 

found  wanting  in  ability  to  contend  with  Lee.  The  force 
was  intrusted  to  General  McClellan,  in  spite  of  his  unpop 
ularity  with  the  Federal  authorities ;  and  the  urgent  manner 
in  which  he  had  been  called  upon  to  take  the  head  of  af 
fairs  and  protect  the  Federal  capital,  is  the  most  eloquent  of 
all  commentaries  upon  the  position  which  he  held  in  the 
eyes  of  the  country  and  the  army.  It  was  felt,  indeed,  by 
all  that  the  Federal  ship  was  rolling  in  the  storm,  and  an 
experienced  pilot  was  necessary  for  her  guidance.  General 
McClellan  was  accordingly  directed,  after  General  Pope's 
defeat,  to  take  command  of  every  thing,  and  see  to  the  safety 
of  Washington  ;  and,  finding  himself  at  length  at  the  head 
of  an  army  of  about  one  hundred  thousand  men,  he  pro 
ceeded,  after  the  manner  of  a  good  soldier,  to  protect  the 
Federal  capital  by  advancing  into  upper  Maryland  in  pur 
suit  of  Lee. 

III. 

MOVEMENTS    OF    THE    TWO    AEMIES. 

GENERAL  LEE  was  already  moving  to  the  accomplishment 
of  his  designs,  the  capture  of  Harper's  Ferry,  and  an  advance 
into  the  Cumberland  Yalley. 

His  plan  to  attain  the  first-mentioned  object  was  simple, 
and  promised  to  be  successful.  Jackson  was  to  march 
around  by  way  of  Williamsport  and  Martinsburg,  and  thus 
approach  from  the  south.  A  force  was  meanwhile  to 
seize  upon  and  occupy  the  Maryland  Heights,  a  lofty  spot 
of  the  mountain  across  the  Potomac,  north  of  the  Ferry.  In 
like  manner,  another  body  of  troops  was  to  cross  the  Poto 
mac,  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  occupy  the  Loudon 
10 


134  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

Heights,  looking  down  upon  Harper's  Ferry  from  the  east. 
By  this  arrangement  the  retreat  of  the  enemy  would  be  com 
pletely  cut  off  in  every  direction.  Harper's  Ferry  must  be 
captured,  and,  having  effected  that  result,  the  whole  Confed 
erate  force,  detached  for  the  purpose,  was  to  follow  the  main 
body  of  this  army  in  the  direction  of  Hagerstown,  to  take 
part  in  the  proposed  invasion  of  Pennsylvania. 

This  excellent  plan  failed,  as  will  be  seen,  from  no  fault 
of  the  great  soldier  who  devised  it,  but  in  consequence  of 
unforeseen  obstacles,  and  especially  of  one  of  those  singular 
incidents  which  occasionally  reverse  the  best-laid  schemes 
and  abruptly  turn  aside  the  currents  of  history. 

Jackson  and  the  commanders  cooperating  with  him 
moved  on  September  10th.  General  Lee  then  with  his  main 
body  crossed  the  South  Mountain,  taking  the  direction  of 
Hagerstown.  Meanwhile,  General  McClellan  had  advanced 
cautiously  and  slowly,  withheld  by  incessant  dispatches  from 
Washington,  warning  him  not  to  move  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
expose  that  city  to  danger.  Such  danger  existed  only  in  the 
imaginations  of  the  authorities,  as  the  army  in  advancing  ex 
tended  its  front  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad.  General  McClellan,  nevertheless,  moved  with  very 
great  precaution,  feeling  his  way,  step  by  step,  like  a  man  in 
the  dark,  when  on  reaching  Frederick  City,  which  the  Con 
federates  had  just  evacuated,  good  fortune  suddenly  came  to 
his  assistance.  This  good  fortune  was  the  discovery  of  a 
oopy  of  General  Lee's  orders  of  march  for  the  army,  in  which 
his  whole  plan  was  revealed.  General  McClellan  had  there 
in  the  unmistakable  evidence  of  his  opponent's  intentions, 
and  from  that  moment  his  advance  was  as  rapid  as  before  it 
had  been  deliberate. 


MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  TWO  ARMIES.  135 

The  result  of  this  fortunate  discovery  was  speedily  seen. 
General  Lee,  while  moving  steadily  toward  Hagerstown,  was 
suddenly  compelled  to  turn  his  attention  to  the  mountain- 
passes  in  his  rear.  It  had  not  been  the  intention  of  Lee  to 
oppose  the  passage  of  the  enemy  through  the  South  Moun 
tain,  as  he  desired  to  draw  General  McClellan  as  far  as  pos 
sible  from  his  base,  but  the  delay  in  the  fall  of  Harper's 
Ferry  now  made  this  necessary.  It  was  essential  to  defend 
the  mountain-defiles  in  order  to  insure  the  safety  of  the  Con 
federate  troops  at  Harper's  Ferry  ;  and  Lee  accordingly  di 
rected  General  D.  H.  Hill  to  oppose  the  passage  of  the  ene 
my  at  Boonsboro  Gap,  and  Longstreet  was  sent  from  Hagers 
town  to  support  him. 

An  obstinate  struggle  now  ensued  for  the  possession  of 
the  main  South  Mountain  Gap,  near  Boonsboro,  and  the 
roar  of  Jackson's  artillery  from  Harper's  Ferry  must  have 
prompted  the  assailants  to  determined  efforts  to  force  the 
passage.  The  battle  continued  until  night  (September  14th), 
and  resulted  in  heavy  loss  on  both  sides,  the  brave  General 
Eeno,  of  the  United  States  army,  among  others,  losing  his 
life.  Darkness  put  an  end  to  the  action,  the  Federal  forces 
not  having  succeeded  in  passing  the  Gap ;  but,  learning  that 
a  column  of  the  enemy  had  crossed  below  and  threatened 
him  with  an  attack  in  flank,  General  Lee  determined  to  re 
tire  in  the  direction  of  Sharpsburg,  where  Jackson  and  the 
forces  cooperating  with  him  could  join  the  main  body  of  the 
army.  This  movement  was  effected  without  difficulty,  and 
Lee  notices  the  skill  and  efficiency  of  General  Fitz  Lee  in 
covering  the  rear  with  his  cavalry.  The  Federal  army  failed 
to  press  forward  as  rapidly  as  it  is  now  obvious  it  should 
have  done.  The  head  of  the  column  did  not  appear  west 


136  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

of  the  mountain  until  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  (Septem 
ber  15th),  and,  nearly  at  the  same  moment  ("  the  attack  be 
gan  at  dawn  ;  in  about  two  hours  the  garrison  surrendered," 
says  General  Lee),  Harper's  Ferry  yielded  to  Jackson. 

Fast-riding  couriers  brought  the  welcome  intelligence  of 
Jackson's  success  to  General  Lee,  as  the  latter  was  approach 
ing  Sharpsburg,  and  official  information  speedily  came  that 
the  result  had  been  the  capture  of  more  than  eleven  thousand 
men,  thirteen  thousand  small-arms,  and  seventy-three  can 
non.  It  was  probably  this  large  number  of  men  and  amount 
of  military  stores  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Confederates 
which  afterward  induced  the  opinion  that  Lee's  sole  design 
in  invading  Maryland  had  been  the  reduction  of  Harper's 
Ferry. 

General  McClellan  had  thus  failed,  in  spite  of  every  ef 
fort  which  he  had  made,  to  relieve  Harper's  Ferry,*  and  no 
other  course  remained  now  but  to  follow  Lee  and  bring  him 
to  battle.  The  Federal  army  accordingly  moved  on  the 
track  of  its  adversary,  and,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day 
(September  15th),  found  itself  in  sight  of  Lee's  forces  drawn 
up  on  the  western  side  of  Antietam  Creek,  near  the  village 
of  Sharpsburg. 

At  last  the  great  opponents  were  in  face  of  each  other, 
and  a  battle,  it  was  obvious,  could  not  long  be  delayed. 

*  All  along  the  march  he  had  fired  signal-guns  to  inform  the  officer  in  com 
mand  at  Harper's  Ferry  of  his  approach. 


THE  PRELUDE  TO  SHARPSBURG.          137 

IY. 

THE    PRELUDE    TO    SHARPSBURG. 

GENERAL  LEE  had  once  more  sustained  a  serious  check 
from  the  skill  and  soldiership  of  the  officer,  who  had  con 
ducted  the  successful  retreat  of  the  Federal  army  from  the 
Chickahominy  to  James  Eiver. 

The  defeat  and  dispersion  of  the  army  of  General  Pope 
on  the  last  day  of  August  seemed  to  have  opened  Pennsyl 
vania  to  the  Confederates.  On  the  15th  of  September,  a 
fortnight  afterward,  General  McClellan,  at  the  head  of  a  new 
army,  raised  in  large  measure  by  the  magic  of  his  name,  had 
pursued  the  victorious  Confederate,  checked  his  further  ad 
vance,  and,  forcing  him  to  abandon  his  designs  of  invasion, 
brought  him  to  bay  a  hundred  miles  from  the  capital.  This 
was  generalship,  it  would  seem,  in  the  true  acceptation  of 
the  term,  and  McClellan,  harassed  and  hampered  by  the 
authorities,  who  looked  but  coldly  upon  him,  could  say,  with 
Coriolanus,  "  Alone  I  did  it." 

Lee  was  thus  compelled  to  give  up  his  movement  in  the 
direction  of  Pennsylvania,  and  concentrate  his  army  to  re 
ceive  the  assault  of  General  McClellan.  Jackson,  marching 
with  his  customary  promptness,  joined  him  with  a  portion 
of  the  detached  force  on  the  next  day  (September  16th). 
and  almost  immediately  those  thunders  which  prelude  the 
great  struggles  of  history  began. 

General  Lee  had  drawn  up  his  army  on  the  high  ground 
west  of  the  Antietam,  a  narrow  and  winding  stream  which 
flows,  through  fields  dotted  with  homesteads  and  clumps  of 
fruit  and  forest  trees,  to  the  Potomac.  Longstreet's  corps 


138  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

was  posted  on  the  right  of  the  road  from  Sharpsburg  to 
Boonsboro,  his  right  flank  guarded  by  the  waters  of  the 
stream,  which  here  bends  westward ;  on  the  left  of  the  Boons 
boro  road  D.  H.  Hill's  command  was  stationed ;  two  brigades 
under  General  Hood  were  drawn  up  on  Hill's  left ;  and  when 
Jackson  arrived  Lee  directed  him  to  post  his  command  on 
the  left  of  Hood,  his  right  resting  on  the  Hagerstown  road, 
and  his  left  extending  backward  obliquely  toward  the  Po 
tomac,  here  making  a  large  bend,  where  Stuart  with  his 
cavalry  and  horse-artillery  occupied  the  ground  to  the  river's 
bank. 

This  arrangement  of  his  troops  was  extremely  judicious, 
as  the  sequel  proved.  It  was  probable  that  General  McClel- 
lan  would  direct  his  main  attack  against  the  Confederate  left, 
with  the  view  of  turning  that  flank  and  hemming  in  the 
Southern  army,  or  driving  it  into  the  river.  By  retiring 
Jackson's  left,  Lee  provided  for  this  contingency,  and  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  design  attributed  by  him  to  his  adversary 
was  that  determined  upon. 

General  McClellan  occupied  the  ground  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Antietam.  He  had  evidently  massed  his  forces 
opposite  the  Confederate  left,  but  a  heavy  order  of  battle 
stood  opposite  the  centre  and  right  of  Lee,  where  bridges 
crossed  the  stream. 

The  respective  numbers  of  the  adversaries  can  be  stated 
with  accuracy.  "  Our  forces  at  the  battle  of  Antietam," 
said  General  McClellan,  when  before  the  committee  of  in 
vestigation  afterward,  "were,  total  in  action,  eighty-seven 
thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty-four." 

General  Lee  says  in  his  report :  "  This  great  battle  was 
fought  by  less  than  forty  thousand  men  on  our  side." 


THE  PRELUDE  TO  SHARPSBURG.          139 

Colonel  "Walter  H.  Taylor,  a  gentleman  of  the  highest 
character,  and  formerly  adjutant-general  of  the  army,  makes 
the  Confederate  numbers  somewhat  less.  In  a  memorandum 
before  the  writer,  he  says : 

Our  strength  at  Sharpsburg.     I  think  this  is  correct : 

Jackson  (including  A.  P.  Hill) 10,000 

Longstreet 12,000 

D.  H.  Hill  and  Walker 7,000 


Effective  infantry 29,000 

Cavalry  and  artillery 8,000 

Total  of  all  arms 37,000 

This  disproportion  was  very  great,  amounting,  as  it  did, 
to  more  than  two  for  one.  But  this  was  unavoidable.  The 
Southern  army  had  been  worn  out  by  their  long  marching 
and  fighting.  Portions  of  the  command  were  scattered  all 
over  the  roads  of  Northern  Virginia,  wearily  dragging  their 
half-clothed  limbs  and  shoeless  feet  toward  Winchester, 
whither  they  were  directed  to  repair.  This  was  the  explana 
tion  of  the  fact  that,  in  spite  of  the  ardent  desire  of  the  whole 
army  to  participate  in  the  great  movement  northward,  Lee 
had  in  line  of  battle  at  Sharpsburg  "  less  than  forty  thou 
sand  men." 

General  McClellan  made  a  demonstration  against  his 
adversary  on  the  evening  of  the  16th,  before  the  day  of  the 
main  struggle.  He  threw  his  right,  commanded  by  General 
Hooker,  across  the  Antietam  at  a  point  out  of  range  of  fire 
from  the  Confederates,  and  made  a  vigorous  attack  on  Jack 
son's  two  divisions  lying  near  the  Hagerstown  road  running 
northward,  and  thus  parallel  with  Lee's  line  of  battle.  A 


14:0  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

brief  engagement  took  place  in  the  vicinity  of  the  "  Dunker 
Church,"  in  a  fringe  of  woods  west  of  the  road,  but  it  was 
too  late  to  effect  any  thing  of  importance ;  night  fell,  and  the 
engagement  ceased,  General  Hooker  retaining  his  position 
on  the  west  side  of  the  stream. 

The  opposing  lines  then  remained  at  rest,  waiting  for  the 
morning  which  all  now  saw  would  witness  the  commence 
ment  of  the  more  serious  conflict. 


Y. 

THE    BATTLE    OF    SHAEPSBUKG. 

THE  battle  of  Sharpsburg,  or  Antietam,  for  it  is  known 
by  both  names,  began  at  early  dawn  on  the  17th  of  Sep 
tember. 

General  McClellan  had  obviously  determined  to  direct 
his  main  assault  against  the  Confederate  left,  a  movement 
which  General  Lee  had  foreseen  and  provided  for,*  and  at 
dawn  commenced  a  rapid  fire  of  artillery  upon  that  portion 
of  the  Confederate  line.  Under  cover  of  this  fire,  General 
Hooker  then  advanced  his  infantry  and  made  a  headlong  as 
sault  upon  Jackson's  line,  with  the  obvious  view  of  crushing 
that  wing  of  Lee's  army,  or  driving  it  back  on  Sharpsburg 
and  the  river.  The  Federal  force  making  this  attack,  or  ad 
vancing  promptly  to  support  it,  consisted  of  the  corps  of 
Generals  Hooker,  Mansfield,  and  Sumner,  and  numbered,  ac 
cording  to  General  Sumner,  forty  thousand  men,  of  whom 
eighteen  thousand  belonged  to  General  Hooker's  corps. 

*  "  In  anticipation  of  a  movement  to  turn  the  line  of  Antietam,  Hood's  two 
brigades  had  been  transferred  from  the  right  to  the  left,"  etc. — Lee. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SHARPSBURG. 

Jackson's  whole  force  was  four  thousand  men.  Of  the 
truth  of  this  statement  of  the  respective  forces,  proof  is 
here  given : 

"  I  have  always  believed,"  said  General  Sumner  after 
ward,  "before  the  war  committee,  "  that,  instead  of  sending 
these  troops  into  that  action  in  driblets,  had  General  Mc- 
Clellan  authorized  me  to  march  there  forty  thousand  men 
on  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy,"  etc. 

"  Hooker  formed  his  corps  of  eighteen  thousand  men," 
etc.,  says  Mr.  Swinton,  the  able  and  candid  Northern  histo 
rian  of  the  war. 

Jackson's  force  is  shown  by  the  Confederate  official  re 
ports.  His  corps  consisted  of  Ewell's  division  and  "  Jack 
son's  old  division."  General  Jones,  commanding  the  latter, 
reported :  "  The  division  at  the  beginning  of  the  fight  num 
bered  not  over  one  thousand  six  hundred  men."  Early,  com 
manding  Ewell's  division,*  reported  the  three  brigades  to 
number : 

Lawton's 1,150 

Hayes's 550 

Walker's  . .  700 


2,400 
"  Old  Division,"  as  above 1,600 

Jackson's  corps 4,000 

This  was  the  entire  force  carried  by  General  Jackson 
into  the  fight,  and  these  four  thousand  men,  as  the  reader 
will  perceive,  bore  the  brunt  of  the  first  great  assault  of  Gen 
eral  McClellan. 

*  After  General  Lawton  was  disabled. 


14:2  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

Just  as  the  light  broadened  in  the  east  above  the  crest 
of  mountains  rising  in  rear  of  the  Federal  lines,  General 
Hooker  made  his  assault.  His  aim  was  plainly  to  drive  the 
force  in  his  front  across  the  Hagerstown  road  and  back  on 
the  Potomac,  and  in  this  he  seemed  about  to  succeed.  Jack 
son  had  placed  in  front  Swell's  division  of  twenty-four  hun 
dred  men.  This  force  received  General  Hooker's  charge, 
and  a  furious  struggle  followed,  in  which  the  division  was 
nearly  destroyed.  A  glance  at  the  casualties  will  show 
this.  They  were  remarkable.  General  Lawton,  division 
commander,  was  wounded  and  carried  from  the  field ;  Colo 
nel  Douglas,  brigade  commander,  was  killed;  Colonel 
"Walker,  also  commanding  brigade,  was  disabled ;  Lawton's 
brigade  lost  five  hundred  and  fifty-four  killed  and  wounded 
out  of  eleven  hundred  and  fifty,  and  five  out  of  six  regi 
mental  commanders.  Hayes's  brigade  lost  three  hundred 
and  twenty-three  out  of  five  hundred  and  fifty,  and  all 
the  regimental  commanders.  Walker's  brigade  lost  two 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  out  of  less  than  seven  hundred, 
and  three  out  of  four  regimental  commanders ;  and,  of  the 
staff-officers  of  the  division,  scarcely  one  remained. 

In  an  hour  after  dawn,  this  heavy  slaughter  had  been 
effected  in  Swell's  division,  and  the  detailed  statement 
which  we  have  given  will  best  show  the  stubborn  resistance 
offered  by  the  Southern  troops.  Still,  they  were  unable  to 
hold  their  ground,  and  fell  back  at  last  in  disorder  before 
General  Hooker,  who  pressed  forward  to  seize  the  Hagers 
town  road  and  crush  the  whole  Confederate  left.  He  was 
met,  however,  by  Jackson's  Old  Division  of  sixteen  hun 
dred  men,  who  had  been  held  in  reserve ;  and  General  Lee 
hastened  to  the  point  threatened  Hood's  two  small  brigades, 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SHARPSBURG.  143 

one  of  which,  General  Hood  states,  numbered  but  eight  hun 
dred  and  sixty-four  men.  With  this  force  Jackson  now  met 
the  advancing  column  of  General  Hooker,  delivering  a  heavy 
fire  from  the  woods  upon  the  Federal  forces.  In  face  of  this 
fire  they  hesitated,  and  Hood  made  a  vigorous  charge,  Gen 
eral  Stuart  opening  at  the  same  time  a  cross-fire  on  the  ene 
my  with  his  horse-artillery.  The  combined  fire  increased 
their  disorganization,  and  it  now  turned  into  disorder. 
Jackson  seized  the  moment,  as  always,  throwing  forward 
his  whole  line,  and  the  enemy  were  first  checked,  and  then 
driven  back  in  confusion,  the  Confederates  pursuing  and 
cheering. 

The  first  struggle  had  thus  resulted  in  favor  of  the 
Confederates — with  about  six  thousand  they  had  repulsed 
eighteen  thousand — and  it  was  obvious  to  General  McClellan 
that,  without  reinforcements,  his  right  could  not  hold  its 
ground.  He  accordingly,  just  at  sunrise,  sent  General  Mans 
field's^  corps  to  the  aid  of  General  Hooker,  and  at  nine 
o'clock  General  Sumner's  corps  was  added,  making  in  all 
forty  thousand  men. 

The  appearance  of  affairs  at  this  moment  was  discoura 
ging  to  the  Federal  commander.  His  heavy  assaulting  col 
umn  had  been  forced  back  with  great  slaughter ;  General 
Hooker  had  been  wounded  and  borne  from  the  field  ;  Gen 
eral  Mansfield,  while  forming  his  line,  had  been  mortally 
wounded ;  and  now,  at  nine  o'clock,  when  the  corps  of  Gen 
eral  Sumner  arrived,  the  prospect  was  depressing.  Of  the 
condition  of  the  Federal  forces,  General  Sumner's  own  state 
ment  conveys  a  very  distinct  conception :  "  On  going  upon 
the  field,"  said  General  Sumner,  before  the  war  committee, 
"  I  found  that  General  Hooker's  corps  had  been  dispersed 


LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

and  routed.  I  passed  him  some  distance  in  the  rear,  where 
he  had  been  carried  wounded,  but  I  saw  nothing  of  his  corps 
at  all,  as  I  was  advancing  with  my  command  on  the  field. 
I  sent  one  of  my  staff-officers  to  find  where  they  were,  and 
General  Hicketts,  the'  only  officer  we  could  find,  stated 
that  he  could  not  raise  three  hundred  men  of  the  corps." 
General  Mansfield's  corps  also  had  been  checked,  and  now 
"  began  to  waver  and  break." 

Such  had  been  the  result  of  the  great  Federal  assault, 
and  it  was  highly  creditable  to  the  Confederate  arms.  With 
a  comparatively  insignificant  force,  Jackson  had  received  the 
attack  of  the  entire  Federal  right  wing,  and  had  not  only 
repulsed,  but  nearly  broken  to  pieces,  the  large  force  in  his 
front. 

The  arrival  of  General  Sumner,  however,  completely 
changed  the  face  of  affairs,  and,  as  his  fresh  troops  advanced, 
those  which  had  been  so  roughly  handled  by  Jackson  had 
an  opportunity  to  reform.  This  was  rapidly  effected,  and, 
having  marshalled  his  troops,  General  Sumner,  an  officer  of 
great  dash  and  courage,  made  a  vigorous  charge.  From 
this  moment  the  battle  began  to  rage  with  new  fury.  Gen 
eral  Lee  had  sent  to  the  left  the  brigades  of  Colquitt,  Kip- 
ley,  and  McHae,  and  with  these,  the  troops  of  Hood,  and 
his  own  shattered  division,  Jackson  presented  a  stubborn 
front,  but  his  loss  was  heavy.  General  Starke,  of  the  Old 
Division,  was  killed ;  the  brigade,  regimental,  and  company 
officers  fell  almost  without  an  exception,  and  the  brigades 
dwindled  to  mere  handfuls. 

Under  the  great  pressure,  Jackson  was  at  length  forced 
back.  One  of  General  Sumner 's  divisions  drove  the  right 
of  the  Confederates  beyond  the  Hagerstown  road,  and,  at 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SHARPSBURG.  14.5 

this  moment  the  long  struggle  seemed  ended ;  the  great 
wrestle  in  which  the  adversaries  had  so  long  staggered  to  and 
fro,  advancing  and  retreating  in  turn,  seemed  at  last  virtually 
decided  in  favor  of  the  Federal  arms. 

This  was  undoubtedly  the  turning-point  of  the  battle 
of  Sharpsburg,  and  General  Lee  had  witnessed  the  conflict 
upon  his  left  with  great  anxiety.  It  was  impossible,  how 
ever,  to  send  thither  more  troops  than  he  had  already  sent. 
As  will  be  seen  in  a  moment,  both  his  centre  and  right  were 
extremely  weak.  A.  P.  Bill  and  General  McLaws  had  not 
arrived  from  Harper's  Ferry.  Thus  the  left  had  been  re- 
enforced  to  the  full  extent  of  Lee's  ability,  and  now  that 
portion  of  his  line  seemed  about  to  be  crushed. 

Fortunately,  however,  General  McLaws,  who  had  been 
delayed  longer  than  was  expected  by  General  Lee,  at  last 
arrived,  and  was  hurried  to  the  left.  It  was  ten  o'clock,  and 
in  that  one  hour  the  fighting  of  an  entire  day  seemed  to 
have  been  concentrated.  Jackson  was  holding  his  ground 
with  difficulty  when  the  divisions  of  McLaws  and  Walker 
were  sent  to  him.  As  soon  as  they  reached  the  field,  they 
were  thrown  into  action,  and  General  Lee  had  the  satisfac 
tion  of  witnessing  a  new  order  of  things.  The  advance — it 
might  rather  be  called  the  onward  rush — of  the  Federal  line 
was  checked.  Jackson's  weary  men  took  fresh  heart ;  that 
great  commander  promptly  assumed  the  offensive,  and,  ad 
vancing  his  whole  line,  drove  the  enemy  before  him  until 
he  reoccupied  the  ground  from  which  General  Sumner  had 
forced  him  to  retire. 

From  the  ground  thus  occupied,  the  Federal  forces  were 
unable  to  dislodge  him,  and  the  great  struggle  of  "  the  left 
at  Sharpsburg  "  was  over.  It  had  begun  at  dawn  and  was 


146  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

decided  by  ten  or  eleven  o'clock,  and  the  troops  on  both 
sides  had  fought  as  resolutely  as  in  any  other  action  of  the 
war.  The  event  had  been  decided  by  the  pertinacity  of  the 
Southern  troops,  and  by  the  prompt  movement  of  reenforce- 
ments  by  General  Lee  from  his  right  and  centre.  Posted 
near  his  centre,  he  had  surveyed  at  one  glance  the  whole 
field  of  action ;  the  design  of  General  McClellan  to  direct  his 
main  assault  upon  the  Confederate  left  was  promptly  pene 
trated,  and  the  rapid  concentration  of  the  Southern  forces  in 
that  quarter  had,  by  defeating  this  movement,  decided  the 
result  of  the  battle. 

Attacks  on  the  Confederate  centre  and  right  followed 
that  upon  the  left.  In  the  centre  a  great  disaster  was  at  one 
time  imminent.  Owing  to  a  mistake  of  orders,  the  brave 
General  Rhodes  had  drawn  back  his  brigade  posted  there — 
this  was  seen  by  the  enemy — and  a  sudden  rush  was  made 
by  them  with  the  view  of  piercing  Lee's  centre.  The  prompt 
ness  and  courage  of  a  few  officers  and  a  small  body  of  troops 
defeated  this  attempt.  General  D.  H.  Hill  rallied  a  few 
hundred  men,  and  opened  fire  with  a  single  gun,  and  Colo 
nel  Cooke  faced  the  enemy  with  his  regiment,  "  standing 
boldly  in  line,"  says  General  Lee,  "  without  a  cartridge." 
The  stand  made  by  this  small  force  saved  the  army  from 
serious  disaster ;  the  Federal  line  retired,  but  a  last  assault 
was  soon  begun,  this  time  against  the  Confederate  right.  It 
continued  in  a  somewhat  desultory  manner  until  four  in  the 
evening,  when,  having  massed  a  heavy  column  under  Gen 
eral  Burnside,  opposite  the  bridge  in  front  of  Lee's  right 
wing,  General  McClellan  forced  the  bridge  and  carried  the 
crest  beyond. 

The  moment  was  critical,  as  the  Confederate  force  at  this 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SHARPSBURG  147 

point  was  less  than  three  thousand  men.  But,  fortunately, 
reinforcements  arrived,  consisting  of  A.  P.  Hill's  forces 
from  Harper's  Ferry.  These  attacked  the  enemy,  drove 
him  from  the  hill  across  the  Antietam  again ;  and  so  threat 
ening  did  the  situation  at  that  moment  appear  to  General 
McClellan,  that  he  is  said  to  have  sent  General  Burnside 
the  message :  "  Hold  your  ground !  If  you  cannot?  then  the 
bridge,  to  the  last  man.  Always  the  bridge !  If  the  bridge 
is  lost,  all  is  lost !  " 

The  urgency  of  this  order  sufficiently  indicates  that  the 
Federal  commander  was  not  without  solicitude  for  the  safety 
of  his  own  left  wing.  Ignorant,  doubtless,  of  the  extremely 
small  force  which  had  thus  repulsed  General  Burnside,  in  all 
four  thousand  five  hundred  men,  he  feared  that  General  Lee 
would  cross  the  bridge,  assail  his  left,  and  that  the  hard- 
fought  day  might  end  in  disaster  to  his  own  army.  That 
General  Lee  contemplated  this  movement,  in  spite  of  the  dis 
proportion  of  numbers,  is  intimated  in  his  official  report. 
"  It  was  nearly  dark,"  he  says,  "  and  the  Federal  artillery  was 
massed  to  defend  the  bridge,  with  General  Porter's  corps, 
consisting  of  fresh  troops,  behind  it.  Under  these  circum 
stances,"  he  adds,  "  it  was  deemed  injudicious  to  push  our 
advantage  further  in  the  face  of  fresh  troops  of  the  enemy 
much  exceeding  our  own." 

The  idea  of  an  advance  against  the  Federal  left  was  ac 
cordingly  abandoned,  and  a  movement  of  Jackson's  com 
mand,  which  Lee  directed,  with  the  view  of  turning  the 
Federal  right,  was  discontinued  from  the  same  considera 
tions.  Night  had  come,  both  sides  were  worn  out,  neither 
of  the  two  great  adversaries  cared  to  risk  another  struggle, 
and  the  bitterly-contested  battle  of  Sharpsburg  was  over. 


14:8  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

The  two  armies  remained  facing  each  other  throughout 
the  following  day.  During  the  night  of  this  day,  Lee  crossed 
with  his  army  back  into  Virginia.  He  states  his  reasons 
for  this  :  "  As  we  could  not  look  for  a  material  increase  of 
strength,"  he  says,  "  and  the  enemy's  force  could  be  largely 
and  rapidly  augmented,  it  was  not  thought  prudent  to  wait 
until  he  should  be  ready  again  to  offer  battle." 

General  McClellan  does  not  seem  to  have  been  able  to 
renew  the  struggle  at  that  time.  "  The  next  morning,"  he 
says,  referring  to  the  day  succeeding  the  battle,  "  I  found 
that  our  loss  had  been  so  great,  and  there  was  so  much  dis 
organization  in  some  of  the  commands,  that  I  did  not  con 
sider  it  proper  to  renew  the  attack  that  day." 

This  decision  of  General  McClellan's  subjected  him  sub 
sequently  to  very  harsh  criticism  from  the  Federal  authori 
ties,  the  theory  having  obtained  at  Washington  that  he  had 
had  it  in  his  power,  by  renewing  the  battle,  to  cut  Lee  to 
pieces.  Of  the  probability  of  such  a  result  the  reader  will 
form  his  own  judgment.  The  ground  for  such  a  conclusion 
seems  slight.  The  loss  and  disorganization  were,  it  would 
seem,  even  greater  on  the  Federal  than  on  the  Confederate 
side,  and  Lee  would  have  probably  been  better  able  to  sus 
tain  an  attack  than  General  McClellan  to  make  it.  It  will 
be  seen  that  General  Meade  afterward,  under  circumstances 
more  favorable  still,  declined  to  attack  Lee  at  Williamsport. 
If  one  of  the  two  commanders  be  greatly  censured,  the  other 
must  be  also,  and  the  world  will  be  always  apt  to  conclude 
that  they  knew  what  could  be  effected  better  than  the  civil 
ians. 

But  General  McClellan  did  make  an  attempt  to  "  crush 
Lee,"  such  as  the  authorities  at  Washington  desired,  and  its 


THE  BATTLE   OF  SHARPSBURG.  14.9 

result  may  possibly  throw  light   on  the  point  in   discus 
sion. 

On  the  night  of  the  19th,  Lee  having  crossed  the  Potomac 
on  the  night  of  the  18th,  General  McClellan  sent  a  consider 
able  force  across  the  river  near  Shepherdstown,  which  drove 
off  the  Confederate  artillery  there,  and  at  daylight  formed  line 
of  battle  on  the  south  bank,  protected  by  their  cannon  north 
of  the  river.  Of  the  brief  but  bloody  engagement  which 
followed — an  incident  of  the  war  little  dwelt  upon  in  the  his 
tories—General  A.  P.  Hill,  who  was  sent  by  Lee  to  repulse 
the  enemy,  gives  an  animated  account.  "  The  Federal  artil 
lery,  to  the  number  of  seventy  pieces,"  he  says,  "  lined  the 
opposite  heights,  and  their  infantry  was  strongly  posted  on 
the  crest  of  the  Virginia  hills.  When  he  advanced  with  his 
division,  he  was  met  by  the  most  tremendous  fire  of  artil 
lery  he  ever  saw,"  but  the  men  continued  to  move  on  with 
out  wavering,  and  the  attack  resulted  in  the  complete  rout 
of  the  enemy,  who  were."  driven  pell-mell  into  the  river," 
the  current  of  which  was  "blue  with  floating  bodies."  Gen 
eral  Hill  chronicles  this  incident  in  terms  of  unwonted  elo 
quence,  and  declares  that,  by  the  account  of  the  enemy  them 
selves,  they  lost  "  three  thousand  men  killed  and  drowned 
from  one  brigade,"  which  appears  to  be  an  exaggeration. 
His  own  loss  was,  in  killed  and  wounded,  two  hundred  and 
sixty-one. 

This  repulse  was  decisive,  and  General  McClellan  made 
no  further  attempt  to  pursue  the  adversary,  who,  standing 
at  bay  on  the  soil  of  Virginia,  was  still  more  formidable  than 
he  had  been  on  the  soil  of  Maryland.  As  we  have  intimated 
on  a  preceding  page,  the  result  of  this  attempt  to  pursue 
would  seem  to  relieve  General  McClellan  from  the  criticism 


150  LEE   INVADES   MARYLAND. 

of  the  Washington  authorities.  If  he  was  repulsed  with 
heavy  slaughter  in  his  attempt  to  strike  at  Lee  on  the  morn 
ing  of  September  20th,  it  is  not  probable  that  an  assault  on 
his  adversary  on  September  18th  would  have  had  different 
results. 

No  further  crossing  at  that  time  was  undertaken  by  the 
Federal  commander.  His  army  was  moved  toward  Har 
per's  Ferry,  an  important  base  for  further  operations,  and 
Lee's  army  went  into  camp  along  the  banks  of  the  Opequan. 


VI. 

LEE    AND    McCLELLAN  — THEIK    MEEITS    IN    THE 
MAEYLAND    CAMPAIGN. 

GENERAL  LEE  and  his  adversary  had  displayed  conspicu 
ous  merit  in  the  campaign  thus  terminated,  and  we  shall 
pause  for  a  moment  to  glance  back  upon  this  great  passage 
at  arms. 

To  give  precedence  to  General  McClellan,  he  had  as 
sembled  an  army,  after  the  defeat  at  Manassas,  with  a 
promptness  for  which  only  his  own  great  personal  popularity 
can  adequately  account,  had  advanced  to  check  Lee,  and 
had  fully  succeeded  in  doing  so  ;  and  had  thus  not  only  pro 
tected  the  fertile  territory  of  Pennsylvania  from  invasion, 
but  had  struck  a  death-blow  for  the  time  to  any  designs 
General  Lee  might  have  had  to  advance  on  the  Federal 
capital.  If  the  situation  of  affairs  at  that  moment  be  atten 
tively  considered,  the  extreme  importance  of  these  results 
will  not  fail  to  appear.  It  may  perhaps  be  said  with  justice, 
that  General  McClellan  had  saved  the  Federal  cause  from 


LEE  AND  McCLELLAN.  151 

decisive  defeat.  There  was  no  army  to  protect  "Washington 
but  the  body  of  troops  under  his  command ;  these  were 
largely  raw  levies,  which  defeat  would  have  broken  to  pieces, 
and  thus  the  way  would  have  been  open  for  Lee's  march  upon 
Washington  or  toward  Philadelphia — a  movement  whose 
probable  result  would  have  been  a  treaty  of  peace  and  the 
independence  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  All  these  hopes 
were  reversed  by  McClellan's  rapid  march  and  prompt  at 
tack.  In  the  hours  of  a  single  autumn  day,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Antietam,  the  triumphant  advance  of  the  Confederates 
was  checked  and  defeated.  And,  if  the  further  fact  be  con 
sidered  that  the  adversary  thus  checkmated  was  Lee,  the 
military  ability  of  General  McClellan  must  be  conceded.  It 
is  the  fashion,  it  would  appear,  in  some  quarters,  to  deny 
him  this  quality.  History  will  decide. 

The  merit  of  Lee  was  equally  conspicuous,  and  his  par 
tial  failure  in  the  campaign  was  due  to  circumstances  over 
which  he  had  no  control.  His  plan,  as  was  always  the  case 
with  him, -was  deep-laid,  and  every  contingency  had  been 
provided  for.  He  was  disappointed  in  his  aim  by  three 
causes  which  he  could  not  foresee.  One  was  the  great  dimi 
nution  of  his  force,  owing  to  the  rapidity  of  his  march,  and 
the  incessant  fighting ;  another,  the  failure  in  obtaining  re 
cruits  in  Maryland ;  and  a  third,  the  discovery  by  General  Mc 
Clellan  of  the  "  lost  dispatch,"  as  it  is  called,  which  revealed 
Lee's  whole  plan  to  his  adversary.  In  consequence  of  the 
"  finding  "  of  the  order  of  march,  McClellan  advanced  with 
such  rapidity  that  the  laggards  of  the  Southern  army  on  the 
hills  north  of  Leesburg  had  no  opportunity  of  joining  the 
main  body.  The  gaps  in  the  ranks  of  the  army  thus  made 
were  not  filled  up  by  Maryland  recruits  ;  Lee  fell  back,  and 


152  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

his  adversary  followed,  no  longer  fearful  of  advancing  too 
quickly ;  Jackson  had  no  time  after  reducing  Harper's  Ferry 
to  rejoin  Lee  at  Hagerstown;  thus  concentration  of  his 
troops,  and  a  battle  somewhere  near  Sharpsburg,  were  ren 
dered  a  necessity  with  General  Lee. 

In  this  tissue  of  adverse  events,  the  discovery  of  the  order 
of  march  by  General  McClellan  occupies  a  very  prominent 
place.  This  incident  resembles  what  the  French  call  a 
fatality.  Who  was  to  blame  for  the  circumstance  still  re 
mains  a  mystery ;  but  it  may  be  said  with  entire  certainty 
that  the  brave  officer  upon  whom  it  was  charged  was  en 
tirely  guiltless  of  all  fault  in  the  matter.* 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  secret  history  of  the  "  lost 
dispatch,"  however,  it  certainly  fell  into  General  McClellan's 
hands,  and  largely  directed  the  subsequent  movements  of 
the  opposing  armies. 

From  what  is  here  written,  it  will  be  seen  that  Lee  was 
not  justly  chargeable  with  the  result  of  the  Maryland  cam 
paign.  He  had  provided  for  every  thing  as  far  as  lay  in  his 
power.  Had  he  not  been  disappointed  in  events  to  be 
fairly  anticipated,  it  seemed  his  force  would  have  received 

*  The  officer  here  referred  to  is  General  D.  H.  Hill.  General  McClellan  said 
in  his  testimony  afterward,  before  the  congressional  committee :  "  When  at 
Frederick,  we  i  md  the  original  order  issued  to  D.  H.  Hill,"  etc.  The  inference 
was  thus  a  natural  one  that  General  Hill  was  to  blame,  but  that  officer  has 
proved  clearly  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  affair.  He  received  but  one 
copy  of  the  order,  which  was  handed  to  him  by  General  Jackson  in  person,  and, 
knowing  its  great  importance,  he  placed  it  in  his  pocket-book,  and  still  retains 
it  in  his  possession.  This  fact  is  conclusive,  since  General  Hill  could  not  have 
"  lost "  what  he  continues  to  hold  in  his  hands.  This  mystery  will  be  cleared 
up  at  some  time,  probably ;  at  present,  but  one  thing  is  certain,  that  General 
Hill  was  in  no  manner  to  blame.  The  present  writer  desires  to  make  this  state 
ment  as  explicit  as  possible,  as,  hi  other  accounts  of  these  transactions,  he  was 
led  by  General  McClellan's  language  to  attribute  blame  to  General  Hill  where  he 
deserved  none.  * 


LEE  AND   McCLELLAN.  153 

large  accessions,  his  rear  would  have  closed  up,  and  the  ad 
vance  into  Pennsylvania  would  have  taken  place.  Instead 
of  this,  he  was  forced  to  retire  and  fight  a  pitched  battle  at 
Sharpsburg ;  and  this  action  certainly  exhibited  on  Lee's  part 
military  ability  of  the  highest  order.  The  force  opposed  to 
him  had  been  at  least  double  that  of  his  own  army,  and  the 
Federal  troops  had  fought  with  a  gallantry  unsurpassed  in 
any  other  engagement  of  the  war.  That  their  assault  on 
Lee  failed,  was  due  to  the  fighting  qualities  of  his  troops 
and  his  own  generalship.  His  army  had  been  manoeuvred 
with  a  rapidity  and  precision  which  must  have  excited  even 
the  admiration  of  the  distinguished  soldier  opposed  to  him. 
He  had  promptly  concentrated  his  forces  opposite  every 
threatened  point  in  turn,  and  if  he  had  not  been  able  to 
carry  out  the  axiom  of  Napoleon,  that  a  commander  should 
always  be  superior  to  the  enemy  at  the  point  of  contact,  he 
had  at  least  done  all  that  was  possible  to  effect  that  end,  and 
had  so  far  succeeded  as  to  have  repulsed  if  not  routed  his  ad 
versary.  This  is  the  main  feature  to  be  noticed  in  Lee's 
handling  of  his  troops  at  Sharpsburg.  An  unwary  or  inac 
tive  commander  would  have  there  suffered  decisive  defeat, 
for  the  Confederate  left  wing  numbered,  throughout  the  early 
part  of  the  battle,  scarcely  more  than  four  thousand  men, 
while  the  column  directed  against  it  amounted  first  to 
eighteen  thousand,  and  in  all  to  forty  thousand  men.  To 
meet  the  impact  of  this  heavy  mass,  not  only  desperate  fight 
ing,  but  rapid  and  skilful  manoeuvring,  was  necessary.  The 
record  we  have  presented  will  enable  the  reader  to  form  his 
own  opinion  whether  Lee  was  equal  to  this  emergency  in 
volving  the  fate  of  his  army. 

Military  critics,  examining  this  great  battle  with  fair  and 


154  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

candid  eyes,  will  not  fail,  we  think,  to  discern  the  truth. 
That  the  Southern  army,  of  less  than  forty  thousand  men, 
repulsed  more  than  eighty  thousand  in  the  battle  of  Sharps- 
burg,  was  due  to  the  hard  fighting  of  the  smaller  force,  and 
the  skill  with  which  its  commander  manoeuvred  it. 


YII. 

LEE    AND    HIS    MEN. 

GENERAL  LEE  and  his  army  passed  the  brilliant  days  of 
autumn  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Shenandoah.  This 
region  is  famous  for  its  salubrity  and  the  beauty  of  its 
scenery.  The  mountain  winds  are  pure  and  invigorating, 
and  the  forests,  which  in  the  season  of  autumn  assume  all 
the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  inspire  the  mind  with  the  most 
agreeable  sensations.  The  region,  in  fact,  is  known  as  the 
"  Garden  of  Virginia,"  and  the  benign  influence  of  their 
surroundings  was  soon  seen  on  the  faces  of  the  troops. 

A  Northern  writer,  who  saw  them  at  Sharpsburg,  de 
scribes  them  as  "  ragged,  hungry,  and  in  all  ways  miser 
able  ; "  but  their  forlorn  condition,  as  to  clothing  and  sup 
plies  of  every  description,  made  no  perceptible  difference  in 
their  demeanor  now.  In  their  camps  along  the  banks  of  the 
picturesque  little  stream  called  the  Opequan,  which,  rising 
south  of  Winchester,  wanders  through  beautiful  fields  and 
forests  to  empty  into  the  Potomac,  the  troops  laughed, 
jested,  sang  rude  camp-ballads,  and  exhibited  a  joyous  in 
difference  to  their  privations  and  hardships,  which  said  much 
for  their  courage  and  endurance.  Those  who  carefully  con 
sidered  the  appearance  and  demeanor  of  the  men  at  that 


LEE  AND  HIS  MEN.  155 

time,  saw  that  much  could  be  effected  with  such  tough  ma 
terial,  and  had  another  opportunity  to  witness,  under  cir 
cumstances  calculated  to  test  it,  the  careless  indifference,  to 
the  past  as  well  as  the  future,  peculiar  alike  to  soldiers  and 
children.  These  men,  who  had  passed  through  a  campaign 
of  hard  marches  and  nearly  incessant  battles,  seemed  to  have 
forgotten  all  their  troubles  and  sufferings.  The  immense 
strain  upon  their  energies  had  left  them  apparently  as  fresh 
and  efficient  as  when  the  campaign  begun.  There  was  no 
want  of  rebound ;  rather  an  excessive  elasticity  and  readiness 
to  undertake  new  movements.  They  had  plainly  acquired 
confidence  in  themselves,  rightly  regarding  the  event  of  the 
battle  of  Sharpsburg,  where  they  were  so  largely  outnum 
bered,  as  highly  honorable  to  them,  and  they  had  acquired 
still  greater  confidence  in  the  officers  who  commanded  them. 

"We  shall  hereafter  speak  more  particularly  of  the  senti 
ment  of  the  troops  toward  General  Lee  at  this  period  of  his 
connection  with  the  army.  The  great  events  of  the  war 
continually  modified  the  relations  between  him  and  his  men  ; 
as  they  came  to  know  him  better  and  better,  he  steadily 
rose  in  their  admiration  and  regard.  At  this  time — the  au 
tumn  of  1862 — it  may  be  said  that  the  troops  had  already 
begun  to  love  their  leader,  and  had  bestowed  upon  him 
as  an  army  commander  their  implicit  confidence. 

Without  this  confidence  on  the  part  of  his  men,  a  gen 
eral  can  effect  little ;  with  it,  he  may  accomplish  almost  any 
thing.  The  common  soldier  is  a  child,  and  feels  that  the 
directing  authority  is  above  him ;  that  he  should  look  upon 
that  authority  with  respect  and  confidence  is  the  first  neces 
sity  of  effecting  military  organization.  Lee  had  already  in 
spired  the  troops  with  this  sentiment,  and  it  was  mainly  the 


156  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

secret  of  his  often  astounding  successes  afterward.  The 
men  universally  felt  that  their  commander  was  equal  to  any 
and  every  emergency.  Such  a  repute  cannot  be  usurped. 
Troops  measure  their  leaders  with  instinctive  acumen,  and 
a  very  astonishing  accuracy.  They  form  their  opinions  for 
themselves  on  the  merits  of  the  question ;  and  Lee  had  al 
ready  impressed  the  army  with  a  profound  admiration  for 
his  soldiership.  From  this  to  the  sentiment  of  personal 
affection  the  transition  was  easy ;  and  the  kindness,  consid 
eration,  and  simplicity  of  the  man,  made  all  love  him. 
Throughout  the  campaign,  Lee  had  not  been  heard  to  utter 
one  harsh  word;  a  patient  forbearance  and  kindness  had 
been  constantly  exhibited  in  all  his  dealings  with  officers 
and  men ;  he  was  always  in  front,  indifferent  plainly  to  per 
sonal  danger,  and  the  men  looked  now  with  admiring  eyes 
and  a  feeling  of  ever-increasing  affection  on  the  erect,  sol 
dierly  figure  in  the  plain  uniform,  with  scarce  any  indication 
of  rank,  and  the  calm  face,  with  its  expression  of  grave  dig 
nity  and  composure,  which  remained  unchanged  equally  on 
the  march  and  in  battle.  It  may  be  said  that,  when  he  as 
sumed  command  of  the  army  before  Richmond,  the  troops 
had  taken  him  on  trust;  now  they  had  come  to  love  him, 
and  when  he  appeared  the  camps  buzzed,  the  men  ran  to 
the  road,  called  out  to  each  other :  "  There  goes  Mas' 
Robert !  "  or  "  Old  Uncle  Robert !  "  and  cheers  followed 
him  as  he  rode  by. 

The  country  generally  seemed  to  share  the  opinion  oi 
the  army.  There  was  exhibited,  even  at  this  early  period 
of  the  war,  by  the  people  at  large,  a  very  great  admiration 
and  affection  for  General  Lee.  While  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley,  where  Jackson  was  beloved  almost  beyond  expres- 


LEE  AND  HIS  MEN.  157 

eion,  Lee  had  evidences  of  the  position  which  he  occupied 
in  the  eyes  of  the  people,  which  must  have  been  extremely 
gratifying  to  him.  Gray -haired  men  came  to  his  camp  and 
uttered  prayers  for  his  health  and  happiness  as  the  great 
leader  of  the  South ;  aged  ladies  greeted  him  with  faltering 
expressions  full  of  deep  feeling  and  pathetic  earnestness ; 
and,  wherever  he  went,  young  girls  and  children  received 
him  with  their  brightest  smiles.  The  august  fame  of  the 
great  soldier,  who  has  now  passed  away,  no  doubt  renders 
these  memories  of  personal  interviews  with  him  dear  to 
many.  Even  the  most  trifling  incidents  are  cherished  and 
kept  fresh  by  repetition ;  and  the  writer  of  these  pages  re 
calls  at  the  moment  one  of  these  trifles,  which  may  possibly 
interest  some  readers.  There  stood  and  still  stands  an  an 
cient  and  hospitable  homestead  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
Opequan,  the  hearts  of  whose  inmates,  one  and  all,  were 
ardently  with  the  South  in  her  struggle.  Soon  after  Sharps- 
burg,  General  Lee  one  day  visited  the  old  manor-house 
crowning  the  grassy  hill  and  overshadowed  by  great  oaks ; 
Generals  Jackson,  Longstreet,  and  Stuart,  accompanied  him, 
and  the  reception  which  he  met  with,  though  we  cannot 
describe  it,  was  such  as  would  have  satisfied  the  most  exact 
ing.  The  children  came  to  him  and  held  out  their  small 
hands,  the  ladies  divided  their  attention  between  him  and 
the  beloved  "  hero  of  the  Yalley,"  Jackson ;  and  the  lady  of 
the  manor  could  only  express  her  sense  of  the  great  honor 
of  receiving  such  company,  by  declaring,  with  a  smile,  that 
the  dinner  resembled  the  famous  'breakfast  at  Tillietudlem 
in  Scott's  "  Old  Mortality."  General  Lee  highly  enjoyed 
this,  and  seemed  disposed  to  laugh  when  the  curious  fact 
was  pointed  out  to  him  that  he  had  seated  himself  at  table 


158  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

in  a  chair  with  an  open-winged  United  States  eagle  deline 
ated  upon  its  back.  The  result  of  this  visit,  it  appeared 
afterward,  was  a  sentiment  of  great  regard  and  affection 
for  the  general  personally  by  all  at  the  old  country-house. 
Old  and  young  were  charmed  by  his  grave  sweetness  and 
mild  courtesy,  and  doubtless  he  inspired  the  same  sentiment 
in  other  places. 

His  headquarters  were  at  this  time  in  a  field  some  miles 
from  Winchester.  An  Englishman,  who  visited  him  there, 
described  the  general  and  his  surroundings  with  accuracy, 
and,  from  the  account  printed  in  Blackwooffs  Magazine, 
we  quote  the  following  sentences : 

"In  visiting  the  headquarters  of  the  Confederate  generals,  but 
particularly  those  of  General  Lee,  any  one  accustomed  to  see  European 
armies  in  the  field  cannot  fail  to  be  struck  with  the  great  absence  of 
all  the  '  pomp  and  circumstance  of  war '  in  and  around  their  encamp 
ments.  Lee's  headquarters  consisted  of  about  seven  or  eight  pole- 
tents,  pitched  with  their  backs  to  a  stake  fence,  upon  a  piece  of  ground 
so  rocky  that  it  was  unpleasant  to  ride  over  it,  its  only  recommenda 
tion  being  a  little  stream  of  good  water  which  flowed  close  by  the 
general's  tent.  In  front  of  the  tents  were  some  three  four-wheeled 
wagons,  drawn  up  without  any  regularity,  and  a  number  of  horses 
roamed  loose  about  the  field.  The  servants,  who  were,  of  course, 
slaves,  and  the  mounted  soldiers,  called  'couriers,'  who  always  ac 
company  each  general  of  division  in  the  field,  were  unprovided  with 
tents,  and  slept  in  or  under  the  wagons.  Wagons,  tents,  and  some  of 
the  horses,  were  marked  '  U.  S.,'  showing  that  part  of  that  huge  debt  in 
the  North  has  gone  to  furnishing  even  the  Confederate  generals  with 
camp  equipments.  No  guard  or  sentries  were  to  be  seen  in  the  vicini 
ty  ;  no  crowd  of  aides-de-camp  loitering  about,  making  themselves 
agreeable  to  visitors,  and  endeavoring  to  save  their  generals  from  re 
ceiving  those  who  had  no  particular  business.  A  large  farm-house 
stands  close  by,  which,  in  any  other  army,  would  have  been  the  #en- 


LEE  AND  HIS  MEN.  159 

eral's  residence  pro  tern.,  but,  as  no  liberties  are  allowed  to  be  taken 
with  personal  property  in  Lee's  army,  he  is  particular  in  setting  a  good 
example  himself.  His  staff  are  crowded  together,  two  or  three  in  a 
tent ;  none  are  allowed  to  carry  more  baggage  than  a  small  box  each, 
and  his  own  kit  is  but  very  little  larger.  Every  one  who  approaches 
him  does  so  with  marked  respect,  although  there  is  none  of  that  bow 
ing  and  nourishing  of  forage  caps  which  occurs  in  the  presence  of 
European  generals ;  and,  while  all  honor  him,  and  place  implicit  faith 
in  his  courage  and  ability,  those  with  whom  he  is  most  intimate  feel 
for  him  the  affection  of  sons  to  a  father.  Old  General  Scott  was  cor 
rect  in  saying  that,  when  Lee  joined  the  Southern  cause,  it  was  worth 
as  much  as  the-  accession  of  twenty  thousand  men  to  the  'rebels.' 
•Since  then  every  injury  that  it  was  possible  to  inflict,  the  Northerners 
have  heaped  upon  him.  Notwithstanding  all  these  personal  losses, 
however,  when  speaking  of  the  Yankees,  he  neither  evinced  any  bitter 
ness  of  feeling,  nor  gave  utterance  to  a  single  violent  expression,  but 
alluded  to  many  of  his  former  friends  and  companions  among  them  in 
the  kindest  terms.  He  spoke  as  a  man  proud  of  the  victories  won  by 
his  country,  and  confident  of  ultimate  success,  under  the  blessing  of 
the  Almighty,  whom  he  glorified  for  past  successes,  and  whose  aid  he 
invoked  for  all  future  operations." 

The  writer  adds  that  the  troops  "  regarded  him  in  the 
light  of  infallible  love,"  and  had  "  a  fixed  and  unshakable 
faith  in  all  he  did — a  calm  confidence  of  victory  when  serv 
ing  under  him."  The  peculiarly  interesting  part  of  this  for 
eign  testimony,  however,  is  that  in  which  the  writer  speaks 
of  General  Lee's  religious  sentiment,  of  his  gratitude  for 
past  mercies,  and  prayers  for  the  assistance  of  the  Almighty 
in  the  hours  of  conflict  still  to  come.  This  point  we  shall 
return  to,  endeavoring  to  give  it  that  prominence  which  it 
deserves.  At  present  we  shall  leave  the  subject  of  General 
Lee,  in  his  private  and  personal  character,  and  proceed  to 
narrate  the  last  campaign  of  the  year  1862. 


160  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

YIII. 

LEE    PASSES    THE    BLUE    EIDGE. 

FBOM  the  central  frontier  of  his  headquarters,  near  Win 
chester,  the  key  of  the  lower  Yalley,  General  Lee  was  able 
to  watch  at  once  the  line  of  the  Potomac  in  his  front,  be 
yond  which  lay  General  McClelland  army,  and  the  gaps  of 
the  Blue  Ridge  on  his  right,  through  which  it  was  possible 
for  the  enemy,  by  a  rapid  movement,  to  advance  and  attack 
his  flank  and  rear. 

If  Lee  had  at  any  time  the  design  of  recrossing  into 
Maryland,  he  abandoned  it.  General  McClellan  attributed 
that  design  to  him.  "  I  have  since  been  confirmed  in  the 
belief,"  he  wrote,  "  that  if  I  had  crossed  the  Potomac  below 
Harper's  Ferry  in  the  early  part  of  October,  General  Lee 
would  have  recrossed  into  Maryland."  Of  Lee's  ability  to 
thus  reenter  Maryland  there  can  be  no  doubt.  His  army 
was  rested,  provisioned,  and  in  high  spirits ;  the  "  stragglers  " 
had  rejoined  their  commands,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  or 
der  for  a  new  advance  would  have  been  hailed  by  the  mer 
curial  troops  with  enthusiasm.  No  such  order  was,  how 
ever,  issued,  and  soon  the  approach  of  winter  rendered  the 
movement  impossible. 

More  than  a  month  thus  passed,  the  two  armies  re 
maining  in  face  of  each  other.  No  engagement  of  any  im 
portance  occurred  during  this  period  of  inactivity,  but  once 
or  twice  the  Federal  commander  sent  heavy  reconnoitring- 
forces  across  the  Potomac ;  and  Stuart,  now  mounting  to 
the  zenith  of  his  reputation  as  a  cavalry-officer,  repeated  his 
famous  "ride  around  McClellan,"  on  the  Chickahominy. 


LEE  PASSES  THE  BLUE  RIDGE. 

The  object  of  General  Lee  in  directing  this  movement  of  the 
cavalry  was  the  ordinary  one,  on  such  occasions,  of  obtain 
ing  information  and  inflicting  injury  upon  the  enemy.  Stu 
art  responded  with  ardor  to  the  order.  He  had  conceived 
a  warm  affection  for  General  Lee,  mingled  with  a  respect 
for  his  military  genius  nearly  unbounded,  and  at  this  time, 
as  always  afterward,  received  the  orders  of  his  commander 
for  active  operations  with  enthusiasm.  With  about  eigh 
teen  hundred  troopers  and  four  pieces  of  horse-artillery,  Stu 
art  crossed  the  Potomac  above  Williamsport,  marched  rap 
idly  to  Chambersburg,  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  destroyed 
the  machine-shops,  and  other  buildings  containing  a  large 
number  of  arms  and  military  stores ;  and  continued  his  way 
thence  toward  Frederick  City,  with  the  bold  design  of  com 
pletely  passing  around  the  Federal  army,  and  recrossing  the 
river  east  of  the  Blue  Kidge.  In  this  he  succeeded,  thanks 
to  his  skill  and  audacity,  in  spite  of  every  effort  of  the 
enemy  to  cut  off  and  destroy  him.  Reaching  White's  Ford, 
on  the  Potomac,  north  of  Leesburg,  he  disposed  his  horse- 
artillery  so  as  to  cover  this  movement,  cut  his  way  through 
the  Federal  cavalry  disputing  his  passage,  and  recrossed 
into  Virginia  with  a  large  number  of  captured  horses,  and 
without  losing  a  man. 

This  expedition  excited  astonishment,  and  a  prominent 
officer  of  the  Federal  army  declared  that  he  would  not  have 
believed  that  "  horse-flesh  could  stand  it,"  as  the  distance 
passed  over  in  about  forty-eight  hours,  during  which  consid 
erable  delay  had  occurred  at  Chambersburg,  was  nearly  01 
quite  one  hundred  miles.  General  McClellan  complained 
that  his  orders  had  not  been  obeyed,  and  said  that  after  these 
orders  he  "  did  not  think  it  possible  for  Stuart  to  recross,"  and 


162  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

believed  "  the  destruction  or  capture  of  his  entire  force  per 
fectly  certain." 

Soon  afterward  the  Federal  commander  attempted  re- 
connoissances  in  his  turn.  A  considerable  force  of  infantry, 
supported  by  artillery,  crossed  the  Potomac  and  advanced 
to  the  vicinity  of  the  little  village  of  Leetown,  but  on  the 
same  evening  fell  back  rapidly,  doubtless  fearful  that  Lee 
would  interpose  a  force  between  them  and  the  river  and  cut 
off  their  retreat.  This  was  followed  by  a  movement  of  the 
Federal  cavalry,  which  crossed  at  the  same  spot  and  ad 
vanced  up  the  road  leading  toward  Martinsburg.  These 
were  met  and  subsequently  driven  back  by  Colonel  W.  H. 
F.  Lee,  son  of  the  general.  A  third  and  more  important 
attempt  to  reconnoitre  took  place  toward  the  end  of  Octo 
ber.  General  McClellan  then  crossed  a  considerable  body 
of  troops  both  at  Shepherdstown  and  Harper's  Ferry ;  the 
columns  advanced  to  Kearneysville  and  Charlestown  re 
spectively,  and  near  the  former  village  a  brief  engagement 
took  place,  without  results.  General  McClellan,  who  had 
come  in  person  as  far  as  Charlestown,  then  returned  with 
his  troops  across  the  Potomac,  and  further  hostilities  for  the 
moment  ceased. 

These  reconnoissances  were  the  prelude,  however,  of  an 
important  movement  which  the  Federal  authorities  had  been 
long  urging  General  McClellan  to  make.  Although  the 
battle  of  Sharpsburg  had  been  indecisive  in  one  acceptation 
of  the  term,  in  another  it  had  been  entirely  decisive.  A 
drawn  battle  of  the  clearest  sort,  it  yet  decided  the  future 
movements  of  the  opposing  armies.  General  Lee  had  in 
vaded  Maryland  with  the  design  of  advancing  into  Pennsyl 
vania—'  the  result  of  Sharpsburg  was,  that  he  fell  back  into 


LEE  PASSES  THE  BLUE  RIDGE.  163 

Virginia.  General  McClellan  had  marched  from  Washing 
ton  with  no  object  but  an  offensive-defensive  campaign  to 
afford  the  capital  protection ;  he  was  now  enabled  to  under 
take  anew  the  invasion  of  Virginia. 

To  the  success  of  such  a  movement  the  Federal  com 
mander  seems  rightly  to  have  considered  a  full  and  complete 
equipment  of  his  troops  absolutely  essential.  He  was  di 
rected  at  once,  after  Sharpsburg,  to  advance  upon  Lee.  He 
replied  that  it  was  impossible,  neither  his  men  nor  his  horses 
had  shoes  or  rations.  New  orders  came — General  Halleck 
appearing  to  regard  the  difficulties  urged  by  General  Mc 
Clellan  as  imaginary.  New  protests  followed,  and  then  new 
protests  and  new  orders  again,  until  finally  a  peremptory 
dispatch  came.  This  dispatch  was,  "  Cross  the  Potomac  and 
give  battle  to  the  enemy  or  drive  him  south,"  an  order  bear 
ing  the  impress  of  the  terse  good  sense  and  rough  directness 
of  the  Federal  President.  This  order  it  was  necessary  in 
the  end  to  obey,  and  General  McClellan,  having  decided  in 
favor  of  a  movement  across  the  Potomac  east  instead  of 
west  of  the  mountain,  proceeded,  in  the  last  days  of  October, 
to  cross  his  army.  His  plan  was  excellent,  and  is  here  set 
forth  in  his  own  words : 

"  The  plan  of  campaign  I  adopted  during  this  advance," 
he  says,  "  was  to  move  the  army  well  in  hand,  parallel  to 
the  Blue  Ridge,  taking  Warrenton  as  the  point  of  direction 
for  the  main  army,  seizing  each  pass  on  the  Blue  Ridge  by 
detachments  as  we  approached  it,  and  guarding  them  after 
we  had  passed,  as  long  as  they  would  enable  the  enemy  to 
trouble  our  communications  with  the  Potomac.  .  .  .  We  de 
pended  upon  Harper's  Ferry  and  Berlin  for  supplies  until 
the  Manassas  Gap  Railway  was  reached.  When  that  oc- 


164:  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

curred,  the  passes  in  our  rear  were  to  be  abandoned,  and  the 
army  massed  ready  for  action  or  movement  in  any  direction. 
It  was  my  intention,  if,  upon  reaching  Ashby's  or  any  other 
pass,  the  enemy  were  in  force  between  it  and  the  Potomac, 
in  the  Yalley  of  the  Shenandoah,  to  move  into  the  Yalley 
and  endeavor  to  gain  their  rear." 

From  this  statement  of  General  McClellan  it  will  be 
seen  that  his  plan  was  judicious,  and  displayed  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  country  in  which  he  was  about  to  operate. 
The  conformation  of  the  region  is  peculiar.  The  Yalley  of 
the  Shenandoah,  in  which  Lee's  army  lay  waiting,  is  sepa 
rated  from  "Piedmont  Yirginia,"  through  which  General 
McClellan  was  about  to  advance,  by  the  wooded  ramparts 
of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  passable  only  at  certain  points. 
These  gaps,  as  they  are  called  in  Yirginia,  are  the  natural 
doorways  to  the  Yalley ;  and  as  long  as  General  McClellan 
held  them,  as  he  proposed  to  do,  by  strong  detachments,  he 
would  be  able  both  to  protect  his  own  communications  with 
the  Potomac,  and,  if  he  thought  fit  to  do  so,  enter  the  Yalley 
and  assail  the  Confederate  rear.  That  he  ever  seriously  con 
templated  the  latter  design  is,  however,  extremely  doubtful. 
It  is  not  credible  that  he  would  have  undertaken  to  "  cut 
off"  Lee's  whole  army ;  and,  if  he  designed  a  movement  of 
that  description  against  any  portion  of  the  Southern  army 
which  might  be  detached,  the  opportunity  was  certainly 
presented  to  him  by  Lee,  when  Jackson  was  left,  as  will  be 
seen,  at  Millwood. 

No  sooner  had  General  McClellan  commenced  crossing 
the  Potomac,  east  of  the  mountain,  than  General  Lee  broke 
up  his  camp  along  the  Opequan,  and  moved  to  check  this 
new  and  formidable  advance  into  the  heart  of  Yirginia.  11 


LEE  PASSES  THE  BLUE  RIDGE,  165 

was  not  known,  however,  whether  the  whole  of  the  Federal 
forces  had  crossed  east  of  the  Blue  Kidge ;  and,  to  guard 
against  a  possible  movement  on  his  rear  from  the  direction 
of  Harper's  Ferry,  as  well  as  on  his  flank  through  the  gaps 
of  the  mountain,  Lee  sent  Jackson's  corps  to  take  position 
on  the  road  from  Charlestown  to  Berryville,  where  he  could 
oppose  an  advance  of  the  enemy  from  either  direction.  The 
rest  of  the  army  then  moved  guardedly,  but  rapidly,  across 
the  mountain  into  Culpepper. 

Under  these  circumstances,  General  McClellan  had  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  strike  a  heavy  blow  at  Jackson, 
who  seemed  to  invite  that  movement  by  crossing  soon  after 
ward,  in  accordance  with  directions  from  Lee,  one  of  his  di 
visions  to  the  east  side  of  the  mountain  on  the  Federal  rear. 
That  General  McClellan  did  not  strike  is  not  creditable  to 
him  as  a  commander.  The  Confederate  army  was  certainly 
divided  in  a  very  tempting  manner.  Longstreet  was  in  Cul 
pepper  on  the  3d  of  November,  the  day  after  General  Mc- 
Clellan's  rear-guard  had  passed  the  Potomac,  and  nothing 
would  seem  to  have  been  easier  than  to  cut  the  Confederate 
forces  by  interposing  between  them.  By  seizing  the  Blue 
Ridge  gaps,  and  thus  shutting  up  all  the  avenues  of  exit 
from  the  Yalley,  General  McClellan  would  have  had  it  in 
his  power,  it  would  seem,  to  crush  Jackson ;  or  if  that  wily 
commander  escaped,  Longstreet  in  Culpepper  was  exposed 
to  attack.  General  McClellan  did  not  embrace  this  oppor 
tunity  of  a  decisive  blow,  and  Lee  seems  to  have  calculated 
upon  the  caution  of  his  adversary.  Jackson's  presence  in 
the  Yalley  only  embarrassed  McClellan,  as  Lee  no  doubt  in 
tended  it  should.  "No  attempt  was  made  to  strike  at  him. 

On  the  contrary,  the  Federal  army  continued  steadily  to 
12 


166  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

concentrate  upon  Warrenton,  where,  on  the  7th  of  Novem 
ber,  General  McClellan  was  abruptly  relieved  of  the  com 
mand. 

He  was  in  his  tent,  at  Eectortown,  at  the  moment  when 
the  dispatch  was  handed  to  him — brought  by  an  officer  from 
Washington  through  a  heavy  snow-storm  then  falling. 
General  Ambrose  E.  Burnside  was  in  the  tent.  McClellan 
read  the  dispatch  calmly,  and,  handing  it  indifferently  to  his 
visitor,  said,  "Well,  Burnside,  you  are  to  command  the 
army." 

Such  was  the  abrupt  termination  of  the  military  career 
of  a  commander  who  fills  a  large  space  in  the  history  of  the 
war  in  Virginia.  The  design  of  this  volume  is  not  such  as 
to  justify  an  extended  notice  of  him,  or  a  detailed  examina 
tion  of  his  abilities  as  a  soldier.  That  he  possessed  military 
endowments  of  a  very  high  order  is  conceded  by  most  per 
sons,  but  his  critics  add  that  he  was  dangerously  prone  to 
caution  and  inactivity.  Such  was  the  criticism  of  his  ene 
mies  at  Washington  and  throughout  the  North,  and  his  pro 
nounced  political  opinions  had  gained  him  a  large  number. 
It  may,  however,  be  permit tld  one  who  can  have  no  reason 
to  unduly  commend  him,  to  say  that  the  retreat  to  James 
River,  and  the  arrest  of  Lee  in  his  march  of  invasion  toward 
Pennsylvania,  seem  to  indicate  the  possession  of  something 
more  than  "  inactivity,"  and  of  that  species  of  "  caution  " 
which  achieves  success.  It  will  probably,  however,  be 
claimed  by  few,  even  among  the  personal  friends  of  this 
general,  that  he  was  a  soldier  of  the  first  ability — one  com 
petent  to  oppose  Lee. 

As  to  the  personal  qualities  of  General  McClellan,  there 
seems  to  be  no  difference  of  opinion.  He  was  a  gentleman 


LEE   CONCENTRATES  AT  FREDERICKSBURG.  1(J7 

of  high  breeding,  and  detested  all  oppression  of  the  weak 
and  non-combatants.  Somewhat  prone  to  hauteur,  in  pres 
ence  of  the  importunities  of  the  Executive  and  other  civil 
ians  unskilled  in  military  affairs,  he  was  patient,  mild,  and 
cordial  with  his  men.  These  qualities,  with  others  which 
he  possessed,  seem  to  have  rendered  him  peculiarly  accept 
able  to  the  private  soldier,  and  it  is  certain  that  he  was,  be 
yond  comparison,  the  most  popular  of  all  the  generals  who, 
one  after  another,  commanded  the  "  Army  of  the  Potomac." 


IX. 

LEE    CONCENTRATES    AT    FREDERICKSBURG. 

IN  returning  from  the  Yalley,  General  Lee  had  exhibited 
that  combination  of  boldness  and  caution  which  indicates  in 
a  commander  the  possession  of  excellent  generalship. 

One  of  two  courses  was  necessary :  either  to  make  a  rapid 
march  with  his  entire  army,  in  order  to  interpose  himself 
between  General  McClellan  and  what  seemed  to  be  his  ob 
jective  point,  Gordonsville ;  or;  to  so  manoeuvre  his  forces  as 
to  retard  and  embarrass  his  adversary.  Of  these,  Lee  chose 
the  latter  course,  exposing  himself  to  what  seemed  very 
great  danger.  Jackson  was  left  in  the  Yalley,  and  Long- 
street  sent  to  Culpepper ;  under  these  circumstances,  Gen 
eral  McClellan  might  have  cut  off  one  of  the  two  detached 
bodies ;  but  Lee  seems  to  have  read  the  character  of  his  ad 
versary  accurately,  and  to  have  felt  that  a  movement  of 
such  boldness  would  not  probably  be  undertaken  by  him. 
Provision  had  nevertheless  been  made  for  this  possible  con 
tingency.  Jackson  was  directed  by  Lee,  in  case  of  an  at- 


168  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

tack  by  General  McClellan,  to  retire,  by  way  of  Strasburg, 
up  tlie  Yalley,  and  so  rejoin  the  main  body.  That  this 
movement  would  become  necessary,  however,  was  not,  as 
we  have  said,  contemplated.  It  was  not  supposed  by  Lee 
that  his  adversary  would  adopt  the  bold  plan  of  crossing  the 
Blue  Eidge  to  assail  Jackson;  thus,  to  leave  that  com 
mander  in  the  Yalley,  instead  of  being  a  military  blunder, 
was  a  stroke  of  generalship,  a  source  of  embarrassment  to 
General  McClellan,  and  a  standing  threat  against  the  Fed 
eral  communications,  calculated  to  clog  the  movements  of 
their  army.  That  Lee  aimed  at  this  is  obvious  from  his 
order  to  Jackson  to  cross  a  division  to  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Blue  Ridge,  in  General  McClellan's  rear.  When  this 
was  done,  the  Federal  commander  abandoned,  if  he  had  ever 
resolved  upon,  the  design  of  striking  in  between  the  Confed 
erate  detachments,  as  is  claimed  by  his  admirers  to  have 
been  his  determination  ;  gave  up  all  idea  of  "  moving  into 
the  Yalley  and  endeavoring  to  gain  their  rear ;  "  and  from 
that  moment  directed  his  whole  attention  to  the  concentra 
tion  of  his  army  near  "Warrenton,  with  the  obvious  view 
of  establishing  a  new  base,  and  operating  southward  on  the 
line  of  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Eailroad. 

Lee's  object  in  these  manoeuvres,  besides  the  general  one 
of  embarrassing  his  adversary,  seems  to  have  been  to  gain 
time,  and  thus  to  render  impossible,  from  the  lateness  of  the 
season,  a  Federal  advance  upon  Richmond.  Had  General 
McClellan  remained  in  command,  it  is  probable  that  this  ob 
ject  would  have  been  attained,  and  the  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg  would  not  have  taken  place.  The  two  armies  would 
have  lain  opposite  each  other  in  Culpepper  and  Fauquiei 
respectively,  with  the  Upper  Rappanannock  between  them 


LEE   CONCENTRATES  AT  FREDERICKSBURG.  169 

throughout  the  winter;  and  the  Confederate  forces,  weary 
and  worn  by  the  long  marches  and  hard  combats  of  1862, 
would  have  had  the  opportunity  to  rest  and  recover  their 
energies  for  the  coming  spring. 

The  change  of  commanders  defeated  these  views,  if  they 
were  entertained  by  General  Lee.  On  assuming  command, 
General  Burnside  conceived  the  project,  in  spite  of  the  near 
approach  of  winter,  of  crossing  the  Rappahannock  at  Fred- 
ericksburg,  and  marching  on  Richmond.  This  he  now  pro 
ceeded  to  attempt,  by  steadily  moving  from  "Warrenton  tow 
ard  the  Lower  Rappahannock,  and  the  result,  as  will  be 
seen,  was  a  Federal  disaster  to  wind  up  this  "  year  of  battles." 

"We  have  spoken  with  some  particularity  of  the  character 
and  military  abilities  of  General  McClellan,  the  first  able 
commander  of  the  Federal  forces  in  Virginia.  Of  General 
Burnside,  who  appears  but  once,  and  for  a  brief  space  only, 
on  that  great  theatre,  it  will  be  necessary  to  say  only  a  few 
words.  A  modest  and  honorable  soldier,  cherishing  for 
General  McClellan  a  cordial  friendship,  he  was  unwilling  to 
supersede  that  commander,  both  from  personal  regard  and 
distrust  of  his  own  abilities.  He  had  not  sought  the  position, 
which  had  rather  been  thrust  upon  him.  He  was  "sur 
prised  "  and  u  shocked,"  he  said,  at  his  assignment  to  the 
command ;  he  "  did  not  want  it,  it  had  been  offered  to  him 
twice  before,  and  he  did  not  feel  that  he  could  take  it ;  he 
had  told  them  that  he  was  not  competent  to  command  such 
an  army  as  this ;  he  had  said  the  same  over  and  over  .again 
to  the  President  and  the  Secretary  of  War."  He  was,  how 
ever,  directed  to  assume  command,  accepted  the  responsi 
bility,  and  proceeded  to  carry  out  the  unexpected  plan  of 
advancing  upon  Richmond  by  way  of  Fredericksburg. 


170  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

To  cover  this  movement,  General  Burnside  made  a  heavy 
feint  as  though  designing  to  cross  into  Culpepper.  This 
does  not  seem  to  have  deceived  Lee,  who,  on  the  17th  of 
November,  knew  that  his  adversary  was  moving.  No  soon 
er  had  the  fact  been  discovered  that  General  Burnside  was 
making  for  Fredericksburg,  than  the  Confederate  com 
mander,  by  a  corresponding  movement,  passed  the  Rapi- 
dan  and  hastened  in  the  same  direction.  As  early  as  the 
17th,  two  divisions  of  infantry,  with  cavalry  and  artillery, 
were  in  motion.  On  the  morning  of  the  19th,  Longstreet's 
corps  was  sent  in  the  same  direction  ;  and  when,  on  Novem 
ber  20th,  General  Burnside  arrived  with  his  army,  the  Fed 
eral  forces  drawn  up  on  the  hills  north  of  Fredericksburg 
saw,  on  the  highlands  south  of  the  city,  the  red  flags  and 
gray  lines  of  their  old  adversaries. 

As  General  Jackson  had  been  promptly  directed  to  join 
the  main  body,  and  was  already  moving  to  do  so,  Lee 
would  soon  be  able  to  oppose  General  Burnside  with  his 
whole  force. 

Such  were  the  movements  of  the  opposing  armies  which 
brought  them  face  to  face  at  Fredericksburg.  Lee  had  acted 
promptly,  and,  it  would  seem,  with  good  judgment ;  but 
the  question  has  been  asked,  why  he  did  not  repeat  against 
General  Burnside  the  strategic  movement  which  had  embar 
rassed  General  McClellan,  and  arrest  the  march  upon  Fred 
ericksburg  by  threatening,  with  the  detachment  under 
Jackson,  the  Federal  rear.  The  reasons  for  not  adopting 
this  course  will  be  perceived  by  a  glance  at  the  map.  Gen 
eral  Burnside  was  taking  up  a  new  base — Aquia  Creek  on 
the  Potomac — and,  from  the  character  of  the  country,  it  was 
wholly  impossible  for  Lee  to  prevent  him  from  doing  so. 


LEE  CONCENTRATES  AT  FREDERICKSBURG. 

He  had  only  to  fall  back  before  Jackson,  or  any  force  mov 
ing  against  his  flank  or  rear ;  the  Potomac  was  at  hand,  and 
it  was  not  in  the  power  of  Lee  to  further  annoy  him.  The 
latter  accordingly  abandoned  all  thought  of  repeating  his 
old  manoeuvre,  moved  Longstreet  and  the  other  troops  in 
Culpepper  toward  Fredericksburg,  and,  directing  Jackson  to 
join  him  there,  thus  concentrated  his  forces  directly  in  the 
Federal  front  with  the  view  of  fighting  a  pitched  battle, 
army  against  army. 

This  detailed  account  of  Lee's  movements  may  appear 
tedious  to  some  readers,  faut  it  was  rather  in  grand  tactics 
than  in  fighting  battles  that  he  displayed  his  highest  abili 
ties  as  a  soldier.)  He  uniformly  adopted  the  broadest  and 
most  judicious  plan  to  bring  on  battle,  and  personally  di 
rected,  as  far  as  was  possible,  every  detail  of  his  movements. 
When  the  hour  came,  it  may  be  said  of  him  that  he  felt 
he  had  done  his  best — the  actual  fighting  was  left  largely 
in  the  hands  of  his  corps  commanders. 

The  feints  and  slight  encounters  preceding  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg  are  not  of  much  interest  or  importance. 
General  Burnside  sent  a  force  to  Port  Royal,  about  twenty- 
five  miles  below  the  city,  but  Lee  promptly  detached  a  por 
tion  of  his  army  to  meet  it,  if  it  attempted  to  cross,  and  that 
project  was  abandoned.  "No  attempt  was  made  by  General 
Burnside  to  cross  above,  and  it  became  obvious  that  he 
must  pass  the  river  in  face  of  Lee  or  not  at  all. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  at  Fredericksburg  in 
the  first  days  of  December. 


1Y2  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

X. 

THE    BATTLE    OF    FKEDEKIC  KSBUEG. 

To  a  correct  understanding  of  the  interesting  battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  a  brief  description  of  the  ground  is  essen 
tial. 

The  city  lies  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Rappahannock, 
which  here  makes  a  considerable  bend  nearly  southward ;  and 
along  the  northern  bank,  opposite,  extends  a  range  of  hills 
which  command  the  city  and  the  level  ground  around  it. 
South  of  the  river  the  land  is  low,  but  from  the  depth  of  the 
channel  forms  a  line  of  bluffs,  affording  good  shelter  to 
troops  after  crossing  to  assail  a  force  beyond.  The  only 
good  position  for  such  a  force,  standing  on  the  defensive,  is  a 
range  of  hills  hemming  in  the  level  ground.  This  range 
begins  near  the  western  suburbs  of  the  city,  where  it  is  called 
"  Marye's  Hill,"  and  sweeps  round  to  the  southward,  gradu 
ally  receding  from  the  stream,  until,  at  Hamilton's  Crossing, 
on  the  Richmond  and  Potomac  Railroad,  a  mile  or  more 
from  the  river,  it  suddenly  subsides  into  the  plain.  This 
plain  extends  to  the  right,  and  is  bounded  by  the  deep  and 
difficult  channel  of  Massaponnax  Creek.  As  Marye's  Hill  is 
the  natural  position  for  the  left  of  an  army  posted  to  defend 
Fredericksburg,  the  crest  above  Hamilton's  Crossing  is  the 
natural  position  for  the  right  of  such  a  line,  care  being  taken 
to  cover  the  extreme  right  with  artillery,  to  obstruct  the 
passage  of  the  ground  between  the  crest  and  the  Massaponnax. 

Behind  the  hills  on  the  north  side  General  Burnside'a 
army  was  posted,  having  the  railroad  to  Aquia  Creek  for 
the  transportation  of  their  supplies.  On  the  range  of  hills 


Battle  ,  of 

FREDERICKSBURG 

Scale 


THE  BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG. 

which  we  have  described  south  of  the  city,  General  Lee  was 
stationed,  the  same  railroad  connecting  him  with  Eichmond. 
Longstreet's  corps  composed  his  left  wing,  and  extended 
from  Marye's  Hill  to  about  the  middle  of  the  range  of  hills. 
There  Jackson's  line  began,  forming  the  right  wing,  and  ex 
tending  to  the  termination  of  the  range  at  Hamilton's  Cross 
ing.  On  Jackson's  right,  to  guard  the  plain  reaching  to  the 
Massaponnax,  jj>tuart  was  postedjwith  cavalry  and  artil- 
Jery.^ 

The  numbers  of  the  adversaries  at  Fredericksburg  can 
be  stated  with  accuracy  upon  one  side,  but  not  upon  the 
other.  General  Lee's  force  may  be  said  to  have  been,  in 
round  numbers,  about  fifty  thousand  of  all  arms.  It  could 
scarcely  have  exceeded  that,  unless  he  received  heavy  re- 
enforcements  after  Sharpsburg ;  and  the  present  writer  has 
never  heard  or  read  that  he  received  reinforcements  of  any 
description.  The  number,  fifty  thousand,  thus  seems  to 
have  been  the  full  amount  of  the  army.  That  of  General 
Burnside's  forces  seems  to  have  been  considerably  larger. 
The  Federal  army  consisted  of  the  First,  Second,  Third, 
Fifth,  Sixth,  Ninth,  and  Eleventh  Corps ;  the  latter  a  corps 
of  reserve  and  large.  If  these  had  been  recruited  to  the  full 
number  reported  by  General  MeClellan  at  Sharpsburg,  and 
the  additional  troops  (Fifth  and  Eleventh  Corps)  be  estimated, 
the  Federal  army  must  have  exceeded  one  hundred  thousand 
men.  This  estimate  is  borne  out  by  Federal  authorities. 
"General  Franklin,"  says  a  Northern  writer,  "had  now 
with  him  about  one-half  the  whole  army ; "  and  General 
Meade  says  that  Franklin's  force  "  amounted  to  from  fifty- 
five  thousand  to  sixty  thousand  men,"  which  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  the  whole  army  numbered  from  one  hundred 


174  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

and  ten  thousand  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
men. 

A  strong  position  was  obviously  essential  to  render  it 
possible  for  the  Southern  army,  of  about  fifty  thousand 
men,  to  successfully  oppose  the  advance  of  this  force  of 
above  one  hundred  thousand.  Lee  had  found  this  po 
sition,  and  constructed  earthworks  for  artillery,  with  the 
view  of  receiving  the  attack  of  the  enemy  after  their  cross 
ing.  He  was  unable  to  obstruct  this  crossing  in  any  mate 
rial  degree ;  and  he  states  clearly  the  grounds  of  this  in 
ability.  "  The  plain  of  Fredericksburg,"  he  says,  "  is  so 
completely  commanded  by  the  Stafford  heights,  that  no 
effectual  opposition  could  be  made  to  the  construction  of 
bridges,  or  the  passage  of  the  river,  without  exposing  our 
troops  to  the  destructive  fire  of  the  numerous  batteries  of 
the  enemy.  .  .  .  Our  position  was,  therefore,  selected  with 
a  view  to  resist  the  enemy's  advance  after  crossing,  and  the 
river  was  guarded  only  by  a  force  sufficient  to  impede  his 
movements  until  the  army  could  be  concentrated." 

The  brief  description  we  have  presented  of  the  charac 
ter  of  the  ground  around  Fredericksburg,  and  the  position 
of  e  adversaries,  will  sufficiently  indicate  the  conditions 
untt^r  which  the  battle  was  fought.  Both  armies  seem  to 
have  been  in  excellent  spirits.  That  of  General  Burnside 
had  made  a  successful  march,  during  which  they  had 
scarcely  seen  an  enemy,  and  now  looked  forward,  probably, 
to  certain  if  not  easy  victory.  General  Lee's  army,  in 
like  manner,  had  undergone  recently  no  peculiar  hardships 
in  marching  or  fighting ;  and,  to  whatever  cause  the  fact 
may  be  attributed,  was  in  a  condition  of  the  highest  effi 
ciency.  The  men  seemed  to  be  confident  of  the  result  of 


THE  BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG.  175 

the  coming  conflict,  and,  in  their  bivouacs  on  the  line  of 
battle,  in  the  woods  fringing  the  ridge  which  they  occupied, 
laughed,  jested,  cheered,  on  the  slightest  provocation,  and, 
instead  of  shrinking  from,  looked  forward  with  eagerness  to, 
the  moment  when  General  Burnside  would  advance  to  at 
tack  them.  This  buoyant  and  elastic  spirit  in  the  Southern 
troops  was  observable  on  the  eve  of  nearly  every  battle  of 
the  war.  Whether  it  was  due  to  the  peculiar  characteris 
tics  of  the  race,  or  to  other  causes,  we  shall  not  pause  here 
to  inquire ;  but  the  fact  was  plain  to  the  most  casual  obser 
vation,  and  was  never  more  striking  than  just  before  Fred- 
ericksburg,  unless  just  preceding  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 

Nothing  of  any  importance  occurred,  from  the  20th  of 
November,  when  General  Burnside's  army  was  concentrated 
on  the  heights  north  of  Fredericksburg,  until  the  llth  of 
December,  when  the  Federal  army  began  crossing  the  Rap- 
pahannock  to  deliver  battle.  Lee's  reasons  for  not  attempt 
ing  to  resist  the  passage  of  the  river  have  been  given  above. 
The  plain  on  which  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  draw 
up  his  army,  in  order  to  do  so,  was  too  much  exposed  to  the 
numerous  artillery  of  the  enemy  on  the  northern  bank. 
Lee  resolved,  therefore,  not  to  oppose  the  crossing  of  -he 
Federal  troops,  but  to  await  their  assault  on  the  command 
ing  ground  west  and  south  of  the  city. 

On  the  morning  of  December  llth,  before  dawn,  the 
dull  boom  of  Lee's  signal-guns  indicated  that  the  enenry 
were  moving,  and  the  Southern  troops  formed  line  of  battle 
to  meet  the  coming  attack.  General  Burnside  had  made 
arrangements  to  cross  the  river  on  pontoon  bridges,  one 
opposite  the  city,  and  another  a  mile  or  two  lower  down  the 
stream.  General  Franklin,  commanding  the  two  corps  of 


176  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

the  left  Grand  Division,  succeeded,  without  trouble,  in  laying 
the  lower  bridge,  as  the  ground  did  not  permit  Lee  to  offer 
material  obstruction;  and  this  large  portion  of  the  army 
was  now  ready  to  cross.  The  passage  of  the  stream  at 
Fredericksburg  was  more  difficult.  Although  determined 
not  to  make  a  serious  effort  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  cross 
ing,  General  Lee  had  placed  two  regiments  of  Barksd  ale's 
Mississippians  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  the  city,  to 
act  as  sharp-shooters,  and  impede  the  construction  of  the 
pontoon  bridges,  with  the  view,  doubtless,  of  thus  giving 
time  to  marshal  his  troops.  The  success  of  this  device  was 
considerable.  The  workmen,  busily  engaged  in  laying  the 
Federal  pontoons,  were  so  much  interrupted  by  the  fire  of 
the  Confederate  marksmen — who  directed  their  aim  through 
the  heavy  fog  by  the  noise  made  in  putting  together  the 
boats — that,  after  losing  a  number  of  men,  the  Federal 
commander  discontinued  his  attempt.  It  was  renewed 
again  and  again,  without  success,  as  before,  when,  provoked 
apparently  by  the  presence  of  this  hornet's  nest,  which  re 
versed  all  his  plans,  General  Burnside,  about  ten  o'clock, 
opened  a  furious  fire  of  artillery  upon  the  city.  The  extent 
of  this  bombardment  will  be  understood  from  the  statement 
that  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  pieces  of  artillery  were 
employed,  which  fired  seven  thousand  three  hundred  and 
fifty  rounds  of  ammunition,  in  one  instance  piercing  a  single 
small  house  with  fifty  round-shot.  An  eye-witness  of  this 
scene  says  :  "  The  enemy  had  planted  more  than  a  hundred 
pieces  of  artillery  on  the  hills  to  the  northern  and  eastern 
sides  of  the  town,  and,  from  an  early  hour  in  the  forenoon, 
swept  the  streets  with  round-shot,  shell,  and  case-shot,  firing 
frequently  a  hundred  guns  a  minute.  The  quick  puffs  of 


THE  BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG.         177 

Binoke,  touched  in  the  centre  with  tongues  of  flame,  ran 
incessantly  along  the  lines  of  their  batteries  on  the  slopes, 
and,  as  the  smoke  slowly  drifted  away,  the  bellowing  roar 
came  up  in  one  continuous  roll.  The  town  was  soon  fired, 
and  a  dense  cloud  of  smoke  enveloped  its  roofs  and  steeples. 
The  white  church-spires  still  rose  serenely  aloft,  defying 
shot  or  shell,  though  a  portion  of  one  of  them  was  torn 
off.  The  smoke  was  succeeded  by  lurid  flame,  and  the 
crimson  mass  brought  to  mind  the  pictures  of  Moscow 
burning."  The  same  writer  says :  "  Men,  women,  and  chil 
dren,  were  driven  from  the  town,  and  hundreds  of  ladies 
and.  children  were  seen  wandering,  homeless,  and  without 
shelter,  over  the  frozen  highway,  in  thin  clothing,  knowing 
not  where  to  find  a  place  of  refuge." 

General  Lee  watched  this  painful  spectacle  from  a  re 
doubt  to  the  right  of  the  telegraph  road,  not  far  from  his 
centre,  where  a  shoulder  jutting  out  from  the  ridge,  and 
now  called  "  Lee's  Hill,"  afforded  him  a  clear  view  of  the 
city.  The  destruction  of  the  place,  and  the  suffering  of  the 
inhabitants,  aroused  in  him  a  deep  melancholy,  mingled 
with  exasperation,  and  his  comment  on  the  scene  was  prob 
ably  as  bitter  as  any  speech  which  he  uttered  during  the 
whole  war.  Standing,  wrapped  in  his  cape,  with  only  a 
few  officers  near,  he  looked  fixedly  at  the  flames  rising  from 
the  city,  and,  after  remaining  for  a  long  time  silent,  said,  in 
his  grave,  deep  voice :  "  These  people  delight  to  destroy  the 
weak,  and  those  who  can  make  no  defence;  it  just  suits 
them." 

General  Burnside  continued  the  bombardment  for  some 
hours,  the  Mississippians  still  holding  the  river-bank  and  pre 
venting  the  laying  of  the  pontoons,  which  was  again  begun 


173  LEE  IXYADES  ilAKYLAND. 

and  again  discontinued.  At  about  four  in  the  afternoon, 
however,  a  force  was  sent  across  in  barges,  and  by  nightfall 
the  city  was  evacuated  by  Lee,  and  General  Burnside  pro 
ceeded  rapidly  to  lay  his  pontoon  bridge,  upon  which  his 
army  then  began  to  pass  over.  The  crossing  continued 
throughout  the  next  day,  not  materially  obstructed  by  the 
fire  of  Lee's  artillery,  as  a  dense  fog  rendered  the  aim  of  the 
cannoneers  unreliable.  By  nightfall  (of  the  12th)  the  Fed 
eral  army  was  over,  with  the  exception  of  General  Hooker's 
Centre  Grand  Division,  which  was  held  in  reserve  on  the 
north  bank.  General  Burnside  then  proceeded  to  form  his 
line  of  battle.  It  stretched  from  the  western  suburbs  of 
Fredericksburg  down  the  river,  along  what  is  called  the 
River  road,  for  a  distance  of  about  four  miles,  and  consisted 
of  the  Right  Grand  Division,  under  General  Surnner,  at  the 
city,  and  the  Left  Grand  Division,  under  General  Franklin, 
lower  down,  and  opposite  Lee's  right.  General  Franklin's 
Grand  Division  numbered,  according  to  General  Meade, 
from  fifty-five  to  sixty  thousand  men;  the  numbers  of 
Generals  Sumner  and  Hooker  are  not  known  to  the  present 
writer,  but  are  said  by  Federal  authorities,  as  we  have 
stated,  to  have  amounted  together  to  about  the  same. 

At  daybreak,  on  the  morning  of  December  13th,  a  muf 
fled  sound,  issuing  from  the  dense  fog  covering  the  low 
ground,  indicated  that  the  Federal  lines  were  preparing  to 
advance. 

To  enable  the  reader  to  understand  General  Burnside's 
plan  of  attack,  it  is  necessary  that  brief  extracts  should  be 
presented  from  his  orders  on  the  occasion,  and  from  his  sub 
sequent  testimony  before  the  committee  on  the  conduct  of 
the  war.  Despite  the  length  of  time  since  his  arrival  at 


THE  BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG. 

Fredericksburg — a  period  of  more  than  three  weeks — the 
Federal  commander  had,  it  appears,  been  unable  to  obtain 
full  and  accurate  information  of  the  character  of  the  ground 
occupied  by  Lee,  and  thus  moved  very  much  in  the  dark. 
He  seems  to  have  formed  his  plan  of  attack  in  consequence 
of  information  from  "  a  colored  man."  His  words  are : 
"  The  enemy  had  cut  a  road  along  in  the  rear  of  the  line  of 
heights  where  we  made  our  attack.  ...  I  obtained,  from  a 
colored  man  at  the  other  side  of  the  town,  information  in 
regard  to  this  new  road  which  proved  to  be  correct.  I 
wanted  to  obtain  possession  of  that  new  road,  and  that  was 
my  reason  for  making  an  attack  on  the  extreme  left."  It  is 
difficult  for  those  familiar  with  the  ground  referred  to,  to  un 
derstand  how  this  "  new  road,"  a  mere  country  bridle-path, 
as  it  were,  extending  along  in  the  rear  of  Lee's  right  wing, 
could  have  been  regarded  as  a  topographical  feature  of  any 
importance.  The  road,  which  remains  unchanged,  and  may 
be  seen  by  any  one  to-day,  was  insignificant  in  a  military 
point  of  view,  and,  in  attaching  such  importance  to  seizing 
it,  the  Federal  commander  committed  a  grave  error. 

"What  seems  to  have  been  really  judicious  in  his  plan, 
was  the  turning  movement  determined  on  against  Lee's 
right,  along  the  old  Richmond  road,  running  from  the  di 
rection  of  the  river  past  the  end  of  the  ridge  occupied  by 
the  Confederates,  and  so  southward.  To  break  through  at 
this  point  was  the  only  hope  of  success,  and  General  Burn- 
side  had  accordingly  resolved,  he  declared,  upon  "  a  rapid 
movement  down  the  old  Kichmond  road  "  with  Franklin's 
large  command.  Unfortunately,  however,  this  wise  design 
was  complicated  with  another,  most  unwise,  to  send  forward 

a  division,  first,  to  seize  the  crest  of  the  ridge  near  the  point 
13 


180  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

where  it  sinks  into  the  plain.  On  this  crest  were  posted  the 
veterans  of  Jackson,  commanded  in  person  by  that  skilful 
soldier.  Three  lines  of  infantry,  supported  by  artillery,  were 
ready  to  receive  the  Federal  attack,  and,  to  force  back  this 
stubborn  obstacle,  General  Burnside  sent  a  division.  The 
proof  is  found  in  his  order  to  General  Franklin  at  about  six 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  battle :  "  Send  out  a  division 
at  least  ...  to  seize,  if  possible,  the  heights  near  Captain 
Hamilton's,"  which  was  the  ground  whereon  Jackson's  right 
rested. 

An  attack  on  the  formidable  position  known  as  Marye's 
Hill,  on  Lee's  left,  west  of  Fredericksburg,  was  also  directed 
to  be  made  by  the  same  small  force.  The  order  to  General 
Sumner  was  to  "  form  a  column  of  a  division,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  pushing  in  the  direction  of  the  Telegraph  and  Plank 
roads,  for  the  purpose  of  seizing  the  heights  in  the  rear  of 
the  town ;  "  or,  according  to  another  version,  "  up  the  Plank 
road  to  its  intersection  with  the  Telegraph  road,  where  they 
will  divide,  with  the  object  of  seizing  the  heights  on  both 
sides  of  those  roads." 

The  point  of  "  intersection  "  here  referred  to  was  the  lo 
cality  of  what  has  been  called  "  that  sombre,  fatal,  terrible 
stone  wall,"  just  under  Marye's  Hill,  where  the  most  fearful 
slaughter  of  the  Federal  forces  took  place.  Marye's  Hill  is 
a  strong  position,  and  its  importance  was  well  understood 
by  Lee.  Longstreet's  infantry  was  in  heavy  line  of  battle 
behind  it,  and  the  crest  bristled  with  artillery.  There  was 
still  less  hope  here  of  effecting  any  thing  with  "  a  division  " 
than  on  the  Confederate  right  held  by  Jackson. 

General  Burnside  seems,  however,  to  have  regarded  suc 
cess  as  probable.  He  added  in  his  order :  "  Holding  these 


THE  BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG.         181 

heights,  with  the  heights  near  Captain  Hamilton's,  will,  I 
hope,  compel  the  enemy  to  evacuate  the  whole  ridge  be 
tween  these  points."  In  his  testimony  afterward,  he  said 
that,  in  the  event  of  failure  in  these  assaults  on  Lee's  flanks, 
he  "  proposed  to  make  a  direct  attack  on  their  front,  and 
drive  them  out  of  their  works." 

These  extracts  from  General  Burnside's  orders  and  tes 
timony  clearly  indicate  his  plan,  which  was  to  assail  both 
Lee's  right  and  left,  and,  in  the  event  of  failure,  direct  a 
heavy  blow  at  his  centre.  That  the  whole  plan  completely 
failed  was  mainly  due,  it  would  seem,  to  the  inconsiderable 
numbers  of  the  assaulting  columns. 

"We  return  now  to  the  narrative  of  the  battle  which  these 
comments  have  interrupted. 

General  Lee  was  ready  to  receive  the  Federal  attack, 
and,  at  an  early  hour  of  the  morning,  rode  from  his  head 
quarters,  in  rear  of  his  centre,  along  his  line  of  battle  tow 
ard  the  right,  where  he  probably  expected  the  main  assault 
of  the  enemy  to  take  place.  He  was  clad  in  his  plain,  well- 
worn  gray  uniform,  with  felt  hat,  cavalry-boots,  and  short 
cape,  without  sword,  and  almost  without  any  indications  of 
his  rank.  In  these  outward  details,  he  differed  much  from 
Generals  Jackson  and  Stuart,  who  rode  with  him.  The  lat 
ter,  as  was  usual  with  him,  wore  a  fully-decorated  uniform, 
sash,  black  plume,  sabre,  and  handsome  gauntlets.  Gen 
eral  Jackson,  also,  on  this  day,  chanced  to  have  exchanged 
his  dingy  old  coat  and  sun^corched  cadet-cap  for  a  new 
coat  *  covered  with  dazzling  buttons,  and  a  cap  brilliant 
with  a  broad  band  of  gold  lace,  in  which  (for  him)  extraor 
dinary  disguise  his  men  scarcely  Knew  him. 

*  This  coat  was  a  present  from  Stuart. 


182  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

As  Lee  and  his  companions  passed  along  in  front  of 
the  line  of  battle,  the  troops  cheered  them.  It  was  evi 
dent  that  the  army  was  in  excellent  spirits,  and  ready  for 
the  hard  work  which  the  day  would  bring.  Lee  proceeded 
down  the  old  Richmond,  or  stage  road — that  mentioned  in 
General  Burnside's  order  as  the  one  over  which  his  large 
flanking  column  was  to  move — and  rode  on  with  Stuart 
until  he  was  near  the  River  roa<fjTOnning  toward  Frede? 
icksburg,  parallel  to  the  Federal  line  of  battle.  Here  he 
stopped,  and  endeavofedlo  make~6ul;,  through  the  dense  fog 
covering  the  plain,  whether  the  Federal  forces  were  moving. 
A  stifled  hum  issued  from  the  mist,  but  nothing  could  be 
seen.  It  seemed,  however,  that  the  enemy's  skirmishers — 
probably  concealed  in  the  ditches  along  the  River  road — had 
sharper  eyes,  as  bullets  began  to  whistle  around  the  two  gen 
erals,  and  soon  a  number  of  black  specks  were  seen  moving 
forward.  General  Lee  remained  for  some  time  longer,  in 
spite  of  the  exposure,  conversing  with  great  calmness  and 
gravity  with  Stuart,  who  was  all  ardor.  He  then  rode  back 
slowly,  passed  along  his  line  of  battle,  greeted  wherever  he 
was  seen  with  cheers,  and  took  his  position  on  the  eminence 
in  his  centre,  near  the  Telegraph  road,  the  same  command 
ing  point  from  which  he  had  witnessed  the  bombardment 
of  Fredericksburg. 

The  battle  did  not  commence  until  ten  o'clock,  owing  to 
the  dense  fog,  through  which  the  light  of  the  sun  could 
scarcely  pierce.  At  that  hour  the  mist  lifted  and  rolled  away, 
and  the  Confederates  posted  on  the  ridge  saw  a  heavy  col 
umn  of  infantry  advancing  to  attack  their  right,  near  the 
Hamilton  House.  This  force  was  Meade's  division,  support 
ed  by  Gibbon's,  with  a  third  in  reserve,  General  Franklin 


THE  BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG.         183 

having  put  in  action  as  many  troops  as  his  orders  ("  a  divis 
ion  at  least ")  permitted.  General  Meade  was  arrested  for 
some  time  by  a  minute  but  most  annoying  obstacle.  NStuart 
a  singlepiece  of  artillery,  under  Major  John  Pel- 
ham,  near  the  point  where~lh^^d"^Richmond'and  River 
roads  meet — that  is,  directly  on  the  flank  of  the  advancing 
column — and  this  gun  now  opened  a  rapid  and  determined 
fire  upon  General  Meade.  Major  Pelham — almost  a  boy  in 
years — continued  to  hold  his  exposed  position  with  great 
gallantry,  although  the  enemy  opened  fire  upon  him  with 
several  batteries,  killing  a  number  of  his  gunners.  General 
Lee  witnessed  this  duel  from  the  hill  on  which  he  had  taken 
his  stand,  and  is  said  to  have  exclaimed,  "  It  is  glorious  to 
see  such  courage  in  one  so  young ! "  * 

Pelham  continued  the  cannonade  for  about  two  hours, 
only  retiring  when  he  received  a  peremptory  order  from 
Jackson  to  do  so;  and  it  would  seem  that  this  one  gun 
caused  a  considerable  delay  in  the  attack.  "  Meade  ad 
vanced  across  the  plain,  but  had  not  proceeded  far,"  says 
Mr.  Swinton,  "before  he  was  compelled  to  stop  and  silence 
a  battery  that  Stuart  had  posted  on  the  Port  Royal  road." 
Having  brushed  away  this  annoying  obstacle,  General 
Meade,  with  a  force  which  he  states  to  have  amounted  to 
ten  thousand  men,  advanced  rapidly  to  attack  the  hill  upon 
which  the  Confederates  awaited  him.  He  was  suffered  to 
approach  within  a  few  hundred  yards,  when  Jackson's  ar 
tillery,  under  Colonel  Walker,  posted  near  the  end  of  the 

*  General  Lee's  opinion  of  Major  Pelham  appears  from  his  report,  in 
which  he  styles  the  young  officer  "  the  gallant  Pelham,"  and  says  :  "Four  bat 
teries  immediately  turned  upon  him,  but  he  sustained  their  heavy  fire  with  the 
unflinching  courage  that  ever  distinguished  him."  Pelham  fell  at  Kelly's  Ford 
in  March,  1863. 


184:  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

ridge,  opened  a  sudden  and  furious  fire,  which  threw  the 
Federal  line  into  temporary  confusion.  The  troops  soon 
rallied,  however,  and  advanced  again  to  the  attack,  which 
fell  on  Jackson's  front  line  under  A.  P.  Hill.  The  strug 
gle  which  now  ensued  was  fierce  and  bloody,  but,  a  gap 
having  been  left  between  the  brigades  of  Archer  and  Lane, 
the  enemy  pierced  the  opening,  turning  the  left  of  one  bri 
gade  and  the  right  of  the  other,  pressed  on,  attacked  Gregg's 
brigade  of  Hill's  reserve,  threw  it  into  confusion,  and  seemed 
about  to  carry  the  crest.  Gregg's  brigade  was  quickly  ral 
lied,  however,  by  its  brave  commander,  who  soon  afterward 
fell,  mortally  wounded ;  the  further  progress  of  the  enemy 
was  checked,  and,  Jackson's  second  line  rapidly  advancing, 
the  enemy  were  met  and  forced  back,  step  by  step,  until  they 
were  driven  down  the  slope  again.  Here  they  were  attacked 
by  the  brigades  of  Hoke  and  Atkinson,  and  driven  beyond 
the  railroad,  the  Confederates  cheering  and  following  them 
into  the  plain.  The  repulse  had  been  complete,  and  the 
slope  and  ground  in  front  of  it  were  strewed  with  Federal 
dead.  They  had  returned  as  rapidly  as  they  had  charged, 
pursued  by  shot  and  shell,  and  General  Lee,  witnessing  the 
spectacle  from  his  hill,  murmured,  in  his  grave  and  meas 
ured  voice :  "  It  is  well  this  is  so  terrible !  we  should  grow 
too  fond  of  it!" 

The  assault  on  the  Confederate  right  had  thus  ended  in 
disaster,  but  almost  immediately  another  attack  took  place, 
whose  results  were  more  bloody  and  terrible  still.  As  Gen 
eral  Meade  fell  back,  pursued  by  the  men  of  Jackson,  the 
sudden  roar  of  artillery  from  the  Confederate  left  indicated 
that  a  heavy  conflict  had  begun  in  that  quarter.  The  Fed 
eral  troops  were  charging  Marye's  Hill,  which  was  to  prove 


THE  BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG.         185 

the  Cemetery  Hill  of  Fredericksburg.  This  frightful  charge 
— for  no  other  adjective  can  describe  it — was  made  by  Gen 
eral  French's  division,  supported  by  General  Hancock.  The 
Federal  troops  rushed  forward  over  the  broken  ground  in 
the  suburbs  of  the  city,  and,  "  as  soon  as  the  masses  became 
dense  enough,"  *  were  received  with  a  concentrated  artillery 
fire  from  the  hill  in  front  of  them.  This  fire  was  so  destruc 
tive  that  it  "  made  gaps  that  could  be  seen  at  the  distance 
of  a  mile."  The  charging  division  had  advanced  in  column 
of  brigades,  and  the  front  was  nearly  destroyed.  The  troops 
continued  to  move  forward,  however,  and  had  nearly  reached 
the  base  of  the  hill,  when  the  brigades  of  Cobb  and  Cooke, 
posted  behind  a  stone  wall  running  parallel  with  the  Tele 
graph  road,  met  them  with  a  sudden  fire  of  musketry,  which 
drove  them  back  in  terrible  disorder.  Nearly  half  the  force 
was  killed  or  lay  disabled  on  the  field,  and  upon  the  surviv 
ors,  now  in  full  retreat,  was  directed  a  concentrated  artillery- 
fire  from  the  hill. 

In  face  of  this  discharge  of  cannon,  General  Hancock's 
force,  supporting  French,  now  gallantly  advanced  in  its 
turn.  The  charge  lasted  about  fifteen  minutes,  and  in  that 
time  General  Hancock  lost  more  than  two  thousand  of  the 
five  thousand  men  of  his  command.  The  repulse  was  still 
more  bloody  and  decisive  than  the  first.  The  second  column 
fell  back  in  disorder,  leaving  the  ground  covered  with  their 
dead. 

General  Burnside  had  hitherto  remained  at  the  "  Phil 
lips  House,"  a  mile  or  more  from  the  Rappahannock.  He 
now  mounted  his  horse,  and,  riding  down  to  the  river,  dis 
mounted,  walked  up  and  down  in  great  agitation,  and  ex- 

*  Longstreet. 


186  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

claimed,  looking  at  Marye's  Hill :  "  That  crest  must  be 
carried  to-night."  * 

In  spite  of  the  murderous  results  of  the  first  charges, 
the  Federal  commander  determined  on  a  third.  General 
Hooker's  reserve  was  ordered  to  make  it,  and,  although  that 
officer  protested  against  it,  General  Burnside  was  immov 
able,  and  repeated  his  order.  General  Hooker  sullenly 
obeyed,  and  opened  with  artillery  upon  the  stone  wall  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  in  order  to  make  a  breach  in  it.  This 
fire  continued  until  nearly  sunset,  when  Humphrey's  divis 
ion  was  formed  for  the  charge.  The  men  were  ordered  to 
throw  aside  their  knapsacks,  and  not  to  load  their  guns, 
4<  for  there  was  no  time  there  to  load  and  fire,"  says  General 
Hooker.  The  word  was  given  about  sunset,  and  the  divis 
ion  charged  headlong  over  the  ground  already  covered  with 
dead.  A  few  words  will  convey  the  result.  Of  four  thou 
sand  men  who  charged,  seventeen  hundred  and  sixty  were 
left  dead  or  wounded  on  the  field.  The  rest  retreated,  pur- 
sued  by  the  fire  of  the  batteries  and  infantry ;  and  night 
fell  on  the  battle-field. 

This  charge  was  the  real  termination  of  the  bloody  bat 
tle  of  Fredericksburg,  but,  on  the  Confederate  right,  Jack 
son  had  planned  and  begun  to  execute  a  decisive  advance 
on  the  force  in  his  front.  This  he  designed  to  undertake 
"  precisely  at  sunset,"  and  his  intention  was  to  depend  on 
the  bayonet,  his  military  judgment  or  instinct  having  satis 
fied  him  that  the  morale  of  the  Federal  army  was  destroyed. 
The  advance  was  discontinued,  however,  in  consequence  of 
the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  the  sudden  artillery-fire  which 
saluted  him  as  he  began  to  move.  A  striking  feature  of 

*  The  authority  for  this  incident  is  Mr.  William  Swinton,  who  was  present. 


THE  BATTLE   OF  FREDERICKSBURG.  187 

this  intended  advance  is  the  fact  that  Jackson  had  placed 
his  artillery  in  front  of  his  line  of  battle,  intending  to  at 
tack  in  that  manner. 

As  darkness  settled  down,  the  last  guns  of  Stuart,  who 
had  defended  the  Confederate  right  flank  with  about  thirty 
pieces  of  artillery,  were  heard  far  in  advance,  and  apparent 
ly  advancing  still.  The  Federal  lines  had  fallen  back,  well- 
nigh  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  there  seems  little  room 
to  doubt  that  the  morale  of  the  men  was  seriously  impaired. 
"  From  what  I  knew  of  our  want  of  success  upon  the  right," 
says  General  Franklin,  when  interrogated  on  this  point, 
"and  the  demoralized  condition  of  the  troops  upon  the  right 
and  centre,  as  represented  to  me  by  their  commanders,  I  con 
fess  I  believe  the  order  to  recross  was  a  very  proper  one." 

General  Burnside  refused  to  give  the  order  ;  and,  nearly 
overwhelmed,  apparently,  by  the  fatal  result  of  the  attack, 
determined  to  form  the  ninth  corps  in  column  of  regiments, 
and  lead  it  in  person  against  Marye's  Hill,  on  the  next 
morning.  Such  a  design,  in  a  soldier  of  ability,  indicates 
desperation.  To  charge  Marye's  .Hill  with  a  corps  in  col 
umn  of  regiments,  was  to  devote  the  force  to  destruction. 
It  was  nearly  certain  that  the  whole  command  would  be 
torn  to  pieces  by  the  Southern  artillery,  but  General  Burn- 
side  seems  to  have  regarded  the  possession  of  the  hill  as 
worth  any  amount  of  blood ;  and,  in  face  of  the  urgent  ap 
peals  of  his  officers,  gave  orders  for  the  movement.  At  the 
last  moment,  however,  he  yielded  to  the  entreaties  of  Gen 
eral  Sumner,  and  abandoned  his  bloody  design. 

Still  it  seemed  that  the  Federal  commander  was  unable 
to  come  to  the  mortifying  resolution  of  recrossing  the  Rap- 
pahannock.  The  battle  was  fought  on  the  13th  of  Decem- 


188  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

her,  and  until  the  night  of  the  15th  General  Burnside  con 
tinued  to  face  Lee  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river — his  bands 
playing,  his  flags  flying,  and  nothing  indicating  an  intention 
of  retiring.  To  that  resolve  he  had  however  come,  and  on 
the  night  of  the  15th,  in  the  midst  of  storm  and  darkness, 
the  Federal  army  recrossed  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock. 


XL 

FINAL    MOVEMENTS    OF    1862. 

THE  battle  of  Fredericksburg  was  another  defeat  of  the 
Federal  programme  of  invasion,  as  decisive,  and  in  one 
sense  as  disastrous,  as  the  second  battle  of  Manassas.  Gen 
eral  Burnside  had  not  lost  as  many  men  as  General  Pope, 
and  had  not  retreated  in  confusion,  pursued  by  a  victorious 
enemy ;  but,  brief  as  the  conflict  had  been — two  or  three 
hours  summing  up  all  the  real  fighting — its  desperate  char 
acter,  and  the  evident  hopelessness  of  any  attempt  to  storm 
Lee's  position,  profoundly  discouraged  and  demoralized  the 
Northern  troops.  We  have  quoted  the  statement  of  Gen 
eral  Franklin,  commanding  the  whole  left  wing,  that  from 
"  the  demoralized  condition  of  the  troops  upon  the  right  and 
centre,  as  represented  to  him  by  their  commanders,  he  be 
lieved  the  order  to  recross  was  a  very  proper  one."  Nor  is 
there  any  ground  to  suppose  that  the  feeling  of  the  left  wing 
was  greatly  better.  That  wing  of  the  army  had  not  suffered 
as  heavily  as  the  right,  which  had  recoiled  with  such  fright 
ful  slaughter  from  Marye's  Hill ;  but  the  repulse  of  General 


FINAL  MOVEMENTS  OF   1862.  189 

Meade  in  their  own  front  had  been  equally  decisive,  and 
the  non-success  of  the  right  must  have  reacted  on  the  left, 
discouraging  that  also.  Northern  writers,  in  a  position  to 
ascertain  the  condition  of  the  troops,  fully  bear  out  this 
view :  "  That  the  'morale  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  be 
came  seriously  impaired  after  the  disaster  at  Fredericks- 
burg,"  says  Mr.  Swinton,  the  able  and  candid  historian  of 
the  campaign,  "  was  only  too  manifest.  Indeed,  it  would 
be  impossible  to  imagine  a  graver  or  gloomier,  a  more  som 
bre  or  unmusical  body  of  men  than  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac  a  month  after  the  battle.  And,  as  the  days  went  by, 
despondency,  discontent,  and  all  evil  inspirations,  with  their 
natural  consequent,  desertion,  seemed  to  increase  rather 
than  to  diminish,  until,  for  the  first  time,  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  could  be  said  to  be  really  demoralized."  General 
Sumner  noticed  that  a  spirit  of  "  croaking "  had  become 
diffused  throughout  the  forces.  For  an  army  to  display 
that  tendency  clearly  indicates  that  the  troops  have  lost  the 
most  important  element  of  victory— confidence  in  themselves 
and  their  leader.  And  for  this  sentiment  there  was  valid 
reason.  Columns  wholly  inadequate  in  numbers  had  been 
advanced  against  the  formidable  Confederate  positions,  po 
sitions  so  strong  and  well  defended  that  it  is  doubtful  if 
thrice  the  force  could  have  made  any  impression  upon  them, 
and  the  result  was  such  as  might  have  been  expected.  The 
men  lost  confidence  in  the  military  capacity  of  their  com 
mander,  and  in  their  own  powers.  After  the  double  repulse 
at  Marye's  Hill  and  in  front  of  Jackson,  the  troops,  looking 
at  the  ground  strewed  with  dead  and  wounded,  were  in  no 
condition  to  go  forward  hopefully  to  another  struggle  which 
promised  to  be  equally  bloody. 


190  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

The  Southern  army  was  naturally  in  a  condition  strongly 
in  contrast  with  that  of  their  adversary.  They  had  repulsed 
the  determined  assault  of  the  Federal  columns  with  com 
parative  ease  on  both  flanks.  Jackson's  first  line,  although 
pierced  and  driven  back,  soon  rallied,  and  checked  the  ene 
my  until  the  second  line  came  up,  when  General  Meade  was 
driven  back,  the  third  line  not  having  moved  from  its  posi 
tion  along  the  road  near  the  Hamilton  House.  On  the  left, 
Longstreet  had  repulsed  the  Federal  charge  with  his  artil 
lery  and  two  small  brigades.  The  loss  of  the  Confederates 
in  both  these  encounters  was  much  less  than  that  of  their 
adversaries,*  a  natural  result  of  the  circumstances ;  and 
thus,  instead  of  sharing  the  depression  of  their  opponents, 
the  Southern  troops  were  elated,  and  looked  forward  to  a 
renewal  of  the  battle  with  confidence  in  themselves  and  in 
their  leader. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  offer  much  comment  upon  the  man 
ner  in  which  General  Burnside  had  attacked.  He  is  said, 
by  his  critics,  not  to  have,  at  the  time,  designed  the  turning 
movement  against  General  Lee's  right,  upon  which  point 
the  present  writer  is  unable  to  decide.  That  movement 
would  seem  to  have  presented  the  sole  and  only  chance  of 
success  for  the  Federal  arms,  as  the  successful  advance  of 
General  Franklin's  fifty-five  or  sixty  thousand  men  up  the 
old  Richmond  road  would  have  compelled  Lee  to  retire  his 
whole  right  wing,  to  protect  it  from  an  assault  in  flank  and 
reverse.  "What  dispositions  he  would  have  made  under  these 
circumstances  must  be  left  to  conjecture ;  but,  it  is  certain 

*  "  Our  loss  during  the  operation,  since  the  movements  of  the  enemy  began, 
amounts  to  about  eighteen  hundred  killed  and  wounded." — Lee's  Report. 

Federal  authorities  state  the  Northern  loss  at  a  little  over  twelve  thousand 
the  larger  part,  no  doubt,  in  the  attack  on  Marye's  Hill. 


FINAL  MOVEMENTS  OF   1862. 

that  the  blow  would  have  proved  a  serious  one,  calling 
for  the  display  of  all  his  military  ability.  In  the  event, 
however,  that  this  was  the  main  great  aim  of  General  Burn- 
side,  his  method  of  carrying  out  his  design  insured,  it  would 
seem,  its  failure.  Ten  thousand  men  only  were  to  clear  the 
way  for  the  flanking  movement,  in  order  to  effect  which  ob 
ject  it  was  necessary  to  crush  Jackson.  So  that  it  may  be 
said  that  the  success  of  the  plan  involved  the  repulse  of  one- 
half  Lee's  army  with  ten  thousand  men. 

The  assault  on  Marye's  Hill  was  an  equally  fatal  mili 
tary  mistake.  That  the  position  could  not  be  stormed,  is 
proved  by  the  result  of  the  actual  attempt.  It  is  doubtful 
if,  in  any  battle  ever  fought  by  any  troops,  men  displayed 
greater  gallantry.  They  rushed  headlong,  not  only  once, 
but  thrice,  into  the  focus  of  a  frightful  front  and  cross  fire 
of  artillery  and  small-arms,  losing  nearly  half  their  num 
bers  in  a  few  minutes ;  the  ground  was  littered  with  their 
dead,  and  yet  the  foremost  had  only  been  able  to  approach 
within  sixty  yards  of  the  terrible  stone  wall  in  advance  of 
the  hill.  There  they  fell,  throwing  up  their  hands  to  indi 
cate  that  they  saw  at  last  that  the  attempt  to  carry  the  hill 
was  hopeless. 

These  comments  seem  justified  by  the  circumstances,  and 
are  made  with  no  intention  of  casting  obloquy  upon  the 
commander  who,  displaying  little  ability,  gave  evidences  of 
unfaltering  courage.  He  had  urged  his  inability  to  handle 
so  large  an  army,  but  the  authorities  had  forced  the  com 
mand  upon  him  ;  he  had  accepted  it  and  done  his  best,  and, 
like  a  brave  soldier,  determined  to  lead  the  final  charge  in 
person,  dying,  if  necessary,  at  the  head  of  his  men. 

General  Lee  has  not  escaped  criticism  any  more  than 


192  I'EE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

General  Burnside.  The  Southern  people  were  naturally  dis 
satisfied  with  the  result — the  safe  retreat  of  the  Federal 
army — and  asked  why  they  had  not  been  attacked  and  cap 
tured  or  destroyed.  The  London  Times ',  at  that  period,  and 
a  military  critic  recently,  in  the  same  journal,  declared  that 
Lee  had  it  in  his  power  to  crush  General  Burnside,  "  horse, 
foot,  and  dragoons,"  and,  from  his  failure  to  do  so,  argued 
his  want  of  great  generalship.  A  full  discussion  of  the 
question  is  left  by  the  present  writer  to  those- better  skilled 
than  himself  in  military  science.  It  is  proper,  however,  to 
insert  here  General  Lee's  own  explanation  of  his  action : 

"  The  attack  on  the  13th,"  he  says,  "  had  been  so  easily 
repulsed,  and  by  so  small  a  part  of  our  army,  that  it  was 
not  supposed  the  enemy  would  limit  his  efforts  to  one  at 
tempt,  which,  in  view  of  the  magnitude  of  his  preparations, 
and  the  extent  of  his  force,  seemed  to  be  comparatively  in 
significant.  Believing,  therefore,  that  he  would  attack  us, 
it  was  not  deemed  expedient  to  lose  the  advantages  of  our 
position  and  expose  the  troops  to  the  fire  of  his  inaccessible 
batteries  beyond  the  river,  by  advancing  against  him.  But 
we  were  necessarily  ignorant  of  the  extent  to  which  he  had 
suffered,  and  only  became  aware  of  it  when,  on  the  morning 
of  the  16th,  it  was  discovered  that  he  had  availed  himself  of 
the  darkness  of  night,  and  the  prevalence  of  a  violent  storm 
of  wind  and  rain,  to  recross  the  river." 

This  statement  was  no  doubt  framed  by  General  Lee  to 
meet  the  criticisms  which  the  result  of  the  battle  occasioned. 
In  conversing  with  General  Stuart  on  the  subject,  he  added 
that  he  felt  too  great  responsibility  for  the  preservation  of 
his  troops  to  unnecessarily  hazard  them.  "  "No  one  knows," 
he  said,  "  how  brittle  an  army  is." 


FINAL  MOVEMENTS  OF   1862.  193 

The  word  may  appear  strange,  applied  to  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia,  which  had  certainly  vindicated  its  claim, 
under  many  arduous  trials,  to  the  virtues  of  toughness  and 
endurance.  But  Lee's  meaning  was  plain,  and  his  view 
seems  to  have  been  founded  on  good  sense.  The  enemy  had 
in  all,  probably,  two  hundred  pieces  of  artillery,  a  large 
portion  of  which  were  posted  on  the  high  ground  north  of 
the  river.  Had  Lee  descended  from  his  ridge  and  advanced 
into  the  plain  to  attack,  this  large  number  of  guns  would 
have  greeted  him  with  a  rapid  and  destructive  fire,  which 
must  have  inflicted  upon  him  a  loss  as  nearly  heavy  as  he 
had  inflicted  upon  General  Burnside  at  Marye's  Hill.  From 
such  a  result  he  naturally  shrunk.  It  has  been  seen  that 
the  Federal  troops,  brave  as  they  were,  had  been  demoral 
ized  by  such  a  fire ;  and  Lee  was  unwilling  to  expose  his 
own  troops  to  similar  slaughter. 

There  is  little  question,  it  seems,  that  an  advance  of  the 
description  mentioned  would  have  resulted  in  a  conclusive 
victory,  and  the  probable  surrender  of  the  whole  or  a  large 
portion  of  the  Federal  army.  Whether  the  probability  of 
such  a  result  was  sufficient  to  compensate  for  the  certain 
slaughter,  the  reader  will  decide  for  himself.  General  Lee 
did  not  think  so,  and  did  not  order  the  advance.  He  pre 
ferred  awaiting,  in  his  strong  position,  the  second  assault 
which  General  Burnside  would  probably  make ;  and,  while 
he  thus  waited,  the  enemy  secretly  recrossed  the  river,  ren 
dering  an  attack  upon  them  by  Lee  impossible. 

General  Burnside  made  a  second  movement  to  cross  the 
Eappahannock — this  time  at  Banks's  Ford,  above  Fredericks- 
burg — in  the  inclement  month  of  January ;  but,  as  he  might 
have  anticipated,  the  condition  of  the  roads  was  such  that  it 


194  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

was  impossible  to  advance.  His  artillery,  with  the  horses 
dragging  the  pieces,  sank  into  the  almost  bottomless  mud, 
where  they  stuck  fast— even  the  foot-soldiers  found  it  diffi 
cult  to  march  through  the  quagmire — and  the  whole  move 
ment  was  speedily  abandoned. 

"When  General  Burnside  issued  the  order  for  this  inju 
dicious  advance,  two  of  his  general  officers  met,  and  one 
asked : 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it  3 " 

" It  don't  seem  to  have  the  ring"  was  the  reply. 

"  ISTo — the  bell  is  broken,"  the  other  added. 

This  incident,  which  is  given  on  the  authority  of  a 
Northern  writer,  probably  conveys  a  correct  idea  of  the  feel 
ing  of  both  the  officers  and  men  of  General  Burnside's  army. 
The  disastrous  day  of  Fredericksburg  had  seriously  injured 
the  troops. 

"  The  Army  of  the  Potomac,"  the  writer  adds,  "  was 
sadly  fractured,  and  its  tones  had  no  longer  the  clear,  inspir 
ing  ring  of  victory."" 


XII. 

THE     YEAR     OF    BATTLES. 

THE  stormy  year  1862  had  terminated,  thus,  in  a  great 
Confederate  success.  In  its  arduous  campaigns,  following 
each  other  in  rapid  succession,  General  Lee  had  directed  the 
movements  of  the  main  great  army,  and  the  result  of  the 
year's  fighting  was  to  gain  him  that  high  military  reputation 
which  his  subsequent  movements  only  consolidated  and  in 
creased. 


FINAL  MOVEMENTS  OF   1862. 


195 


A  rapid  glance  at  the  events  of  the  year  in  their  general 
outlines  will  indicate  the  merit  due  the  Southern  command 
er.  The  Federal  plan  of  invasion  in  the  spring  had  been 
extremely  formidable.  Virginia  was  to  be  pierced  by  no 
less  than  four  armies — from  the  northwest,  the  Shenandoah 
Yalley,  the  Potomac,  and  the  Peninsula — the  whole  force 
to  converge  upon  Kichmond,  the  "  heart  of  the  rebellion." 
Of  these,  the  army  of  General  McClellan  was  the  largest 
and  most  threatening.  It  advanced,  with  little  opposition, 
until  it  reached  the  Chickahominy,  crossed,  and  lay  in  sight 
of  Richmond.  The  great  force  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  men  was  about  to  make  the  decisive  assault,  when 
Lee  attacked  it,  and  the  battle  which  ensued  drove  the  Fed 
eral  army  to  a  point  thirty  miles  from  the  city,  with  such 
loss  as  to  render  hopeless  any  further  attempt  to  assail  the 
capital. 

Such  was  the  first  act  of  the  drama ;  the  rest  speedily 
followed.  A  new  army  was  raised  promptly  by  the  Federal 
authorities,  and  a  formidable  advance  was  made  against 
Richmond  again,  this  time  from  the  direction  of  Alexan 
dria.  Lee  was  watching  General  McClellan  when  intelli 
gence  of  the  new  movement  reached  him.  Remaining,  with 
a  portion  of  his  troops,  near  Richmond,  he  sent  Jackson  to 
the  Rapidan.  The  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain  resulted  in  the 
repulse  of  General  Pope's  vanguard ;  and,  discovering  at 
last  that  the  real  danger  lay  in  the  direction  of  Culpepper, 
Lee  moved  thither,  drove  back  General  Pope,  flanked  him, 
and,  in  the  severe  battle  of  Manassas,  routed  his  army,  which 
was  forced  to  retire  upon  Washington. 

Two  armies  had  thus  been  driven  from  the  soil  of  Vir 
ginia,  and  the  Confederate  commander  had  moved  into 
14 


196  LEE   LVVADES   MARYLAND. 

Maryland,  in  order  to  draw  the  enemy  thither,  and,  if  prac 
ticable,  transfer  the  war  to  the  heart  of  Pennsylvania.  Un 
foreseen  circumstances  had  defeated  the  latter  of  these 
objects.  The  concentration  on  Sharpsburg  was  rendered 
necessary  ;  an  obstinately-fought  battle  ensued  there  ;  and, 
not  defeated,  but  forced  to  abandon  further  movements 
toward  Pennsylvania,  Lee  had  retired  into  Yirginia,  where 
he  remained  facing  his  adversary.  This  was  the  first  failure 
of  Lee  up  to  that  point  in  the  campaigns  of  the  year;  and 
an  attentive  consideration  of  the  circumstances  will  show 
that  the  result  was  not  fairly  attributable  to  any  error  which 
he  had  committed.  Events  beyond  his  control  had  shaped 
his  action,  and  directed  all  his  movements ;  and  it  will  re 
main  a  question  whether  the  extrication  of  his  small  force 
from  its  difficult  position  did  not  better  prove  Lee's  general 
ship  than  the  victory  at  Manassas. 

The  subsequent  operations  of  the  opposing  armies  indi 
cated  clearly  that  the  Southern  forces  were  still  in  excellent 
fighting  condition  ;  and  the  movements  of  Lee,  during  the 
advance  of  General  McClellan  toward  "Warrenton,  were 
highly  honorable  to  his  military  ability.  "With  a  force  much 
smaller  than  that  of  his  adversary,  he  greatly  embarrassed 
and  impeded  the  Federal  advance  ;  confronted  them  on  the 
Upper  Rappahannock,  completely  checking  their  forward 
movement  in  that  direction  ;  and,  when  they  moved  rapidly 
to  Frederieksburg,  crossed  the  Rapidan  promptly,  reappear 
ing  in  their  front  on  the  range  of  hills  opposite  that  city. 
The  battle  which  followed  compensated  for  the  failure  of  the 
Maryland  campaign  and  the  drawn  battle  of  Sharpsburg. 
General  Burnside  had  attacked,  and  sustained  decisive  de 
feat.  The  stormy  year,  so  filled  with  great  events  and  ardu- 


THE  YEAR  OF  BATTLES.  197 

0118  encounters,  had  thus  wound  up  with  a  pitched  battle,  in 
which  the  enemy  suffered  a  bloody  repulse ;  and  the  best 
commentary  on  the  decisive  character  of  this  last  struggle 
of  the  year,  was  the  fault  found  with  General  Lee  for  not 
destroying  his  adversary. 

In  less  than  six  months  Lee  had  thus  fought  four  great 
pitched  battles — all  victories  to  his  arms,  with  the  exception 
of  Sharpsburg,  which  was  neither  a  victory  nor  a  defeat. 
The  result  was  thus  highly  encouraging  to  the  South  ;  and, 
had  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  had  its  ranks  filled  up, 
as  the  ranks  of  the  Northern  armies  were,  the  events  of  the 
year  1862  would  have  laid  the  foundation  of  assured  success. 
An  inquiry  into  the  causes  of  failure  in  this  particular  is  not 
necessary  to  the  subject  of  the  volume  before  the  reader. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  state  the  fact  that  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia,  defending  what  all  conceded  to  be  the 
territory  on  which  the  decisive  struggle  must  take  place, 
was  never  sufficiently  numerous  to  follow  up  the  victories 
achieved  by  it.  At  the  battles  of  the  Chickahominy  the 
army  numbered  at  most  about  seventy- five  thousand  ;  at  the 
second  Manassas,  about  fifty  thousand ;  at  Sharpsburg,  less 
than  forty  thousand;  and  at  Fredericksburg,  about  fifty 
thousand.  In  the  following  year,  it  will  be  seen  that  these 
latter  numbers  were  at  first  but  little  exceeded,  and,  as  the 
months  passed  on,  that  they  dwindled  more  and  more,  until, 
in  April,  1865,  the  whole  force  in  line  of  battle  at  Peters 
burg  was  scarcely  more  than  thirty  thousand  men. 

Such  had  been  the  number  of  the  troops  under  command 
of  Lee  in  1862.  The  reader  has  been  informed  of  the  num 
ber  of  the  Federal  force  opposed  to  him.  This  was  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  on  the  Chickahominy,  of  whom 


L98  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

one  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand  were  effective ;  about  one 
hundred  thousand,  it  would  seem,  under  General  Pope,  at 
the  second  battle  of  Manassas ;  eighty-seven  thousand  actu 
ally  engaged  at  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg ;  and  at  Freder 
icksburg  from  one  hundred  and  ten  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand. 

These  numbers  are  stated  on  the  authority  of  Federal 
officers  or  historians,  and  Lee's  force  on  the  authority  of  his 
own  reports,  or  of  gentlemen  of  high  character,  in  a  situa 
tion  to  speak  with  accuracy.  Of  the  truth  of  the  state 
ments  the  writer  of  these  pages  can  have  no  doubt ;  and,  if 
the  fighting  powers  of  the  Northern  and  Southern  troops  be 
estimated  as  equal,  the  fair  conclusion  must  be  arrived  at 
that  Lee  surpassed  his  adversaries  in  generalship. 

The  result,  at  least,  of  the  year's  fighting,  had  been  ex 
tremely  encouraging  to  the  South,  and  after  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg  no  attempts  were  made  to  prosecute  hostili 
ties  during  the  remainder  of  the  year.  The  scheme  of  cross 
ing  above  Fredericksburg  proved  a  fiasco,  beginning  and 
ending  in  a  day.  Thereafter  all  movements  ceased,  and  the 
two  armies  awaited  the  return  of  spring  for  further  opera 
tions. 

XIII. 

LEE    IN    DECEMBER,    1862. 

BEFOEE  passing  to  the  great  campaigns  of  the  spring 
and  summer  of  1863,  we  propose  to  say  a  few  words  of 
General  Lee,  in  his  private  and  personal  character,  and  to 
attempt  to  indicate  the  position  which  he  occupied  at  this 
time  in  the  eyes  of  the  army  and  the  country. 


LEE  IN  DECEMBER,   1862.  199 

Unknown,  save  by  reputation,  when  he  assumed  com 
mand  of  the  forces  in  June,  1862,  he  had  now,  by  the 
winter  of  the  same  year,  become  one  of  the  best-known 
personages  in  the  South.  Neither  the  troops  nor  the  peo 
ple  had  perhaps  penetrated  the  full  character  of  Lee ;  and 
they  seem  to  have  attributed  to  him  more  reserve  and  less 
warmth  and  impulse  than  he  possessed;  but  it  was  im 
possible  for  a  human  being,  occupying  so  prominent  a 
station  before  the  general  eye,  to  hide,  in  any  material 
degree,  his  main  great  characteristics,  and  these  had  con 
ciliated  for  Lee  an  exalted  and  wellnigh  universal  public 
regard.  He  was  felt  by  all  to  be  an  individual  of  great 
dignity,  sincerity,  and  earnestness,  in  the  performance  of 
duty.  Destitute  plainly  of  that  vulgar  ambition  which 
seeks  personal  aggrandizement  rather  than  the  general 
good,  and  dedicated  as  plainly,  heart  and  soul,  to  the  cause 
for  which  he  fought,  he  had  won,  even  from  those  who  had 
denounced  him  for  the  supposed  hesitation  in  his  course  in 
April,  1861,  and  had  afterward  criticised  his  military  opera 
tions,  the  repute  of  a  truly  great  man,  as  well  as  of  a  com 
mander  of  the  first  ability.  It  was  felt  by  all  classes  that 
the  dignity  of  the  Southern  cause  was  adequately  repre 
sented  in  the  person  and  character  of  the  commander  of  her 
most  important  army.  "While  others,  as  brave  and  patriotic, 
no  doubt,  but  of  different  temperament,  had  permitted 
themselves  to  become  violent  and  embittered  in  their  pri 
vate  and  public  utterances  in  reference  to  the  North,  Lee 
had  remained  calm,  moderate,  and  dignified,  under  every 
provocation.  His  reports  were  without  rhodomontade  or 
exaggeration,  and  his  tone  uniformly  modest,  composed, 
and  uninflated.  After  his  most  decisive  successes,  his  pulse 


200  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

had  remained  calm  ;  he  had  written  of  those  successes  with 
the  air  of  one  who  sees  no  especial  merit  in  any  thing  which 
he  has  performed  ;  and,  so  marked  was  this  tone  of  modera 
tion  and  dignity,  that,  in  reading  his  official  reports  to-day, 
it  seems  wellnigh  impossible  that  they  could  have  been 
written  in  the  hot  atmosphere  of  a  war  which  aroused  the 
bitterest  passions  of  the  human  soul. 

Upon  this  point  of  Lee's  personal  and  official  dignity  it 
is  unnecessary  to  dwell  further,  as  the  quality  has  long  since 
been  conceded  by  every  one  acquainted  with  the  character 
of  the  individual,  in  the  Old  World  and  the  New.  It  is 
the  trait,  perhaps,  the  most  prominent  to  the  observer, 
looking  back  now  upon  the  individual;  and  it  was,  doubt 
less,  this  august  moderation,  dignity,  and  apparent  exemp 
tion  from  natural  infirmity,  which  produced  the  impression 
upon  many  persons  that  Lee  was  cold  and  unimpressible. 
We  shall  speak,  in  future,  at  greater  length  of  his  real 
character  than  is  necessary  in  this  place ;  but  it  may  here 
be  said,  that  the  fancy  that  he  was  cold  and  unimpressible 
was  a  very  great  error.  No  man  had  stronger  or  warmer 
feelings,  or  regarded  the  invasion  of  the  South  with  greater 
indignation,  than  himself.  The  sole  difference  was,  that  he 
had  his  feelings  under  greater  control,  and  permitted  no 
temptation  to  overcome  his  sense  of  that  august  dignity  and 
composure  becoming  in  the  chief  leader  of  a  great  people 
struggling  for  independent  government. 

The  sentiment  of  the  Southern  people  toward  Lee  may 
be  summed  up  in  the  statement  that  they  regarded  him,  in 
his  personal  and  private  character,  with  an  admiration 
which  was  becoming  unbounded,  and  reposed  in  him,  as 
commander  of  the  army,  the  most  implicit  confidence. 


LEE   IN   DECEMBER,    1862.  201 

These  expressions  are  strong,  but  they  do  not  convey  more 
than  the  truth.  And  this  confidence  was  never  withdrawn 
from  him.  It  remained  as  strong  in  his  hours  of  disaster  as 
in  his  noontide  of  success.  A  few  soured  or  desponding 
people  might  lose  heart,  indulge  in  "  croaking,"  and  de 
nounce,  under  their  breath,  the  commander  of  the  army  as 
responsible  for  failure  when  it  occurred;  but  these  faint 
hearted  people  were  in  a  small  minority,  and  had  little 
encouragement  in  their  muttered  criticisms.  The  Southern 
people,  from  Virginia  to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  Gulf 
States,  resolutely  persisted  in  regarding  Lee  as  One  of  the 
greatest  soldiers  of  history,  and  retained  their  confidence  in 
him  unimpaired  to  the  end. 

The  army  had  set  the  example  of  this  implicit  reliance 
upon  Lee  as  the  chief  leader  and  military  head  of  the  Con 
federacy.  The  brave  fighting-men  had  not  taken  his  repu 
tation  on  trust,  but  had  seen  him  win  it  fairly  on  some  of 
the  hardest-contested  fields  of  history.  The  heavy  blow  at 
General  McClellan  011  the  Chickahominy  had  first  shown 
the  troops  that  they  were  under  command  of  a  thorough 
soldier.  The  rout  of  Pope  at  Manassas  had  followed  in  the 
ensuing  month.  At  Sharpsburg,  with  less  than  forty  thou 
sand  men,  Lee  had  repulsed  the  attack  of  nearly  ninety  thou 
sand  ;  and  at  Fredericksburg  General  Burnside's  great  force 
had  been  driven  back  with  inconsiderable  loss  to  the  South 
ern  army.  These  successes,  in  the  eyes  of  the  troops,  were 
the  proofs  of  true  leadership,  and  it  did  not  detract  from 
Lee's  popularity  that,  on  all  occasions,  he  had  carefully  re 
frained  from  unnecessary  exposure  of  the  troops,  especially 
at  Fredericksburg,  where  an  ambitious  commander  would 
•have  spared  no  amount  of  bloodshed  to  complete  his  glory 


202  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

by  a  great  victory.  Such  was  Lee's  repute  as  army  com 
mander  in  the  eyes  of  men  accustomed  to  close  scrutiny  of 
their  leaders.  He  was  regarded  as  a  thorough  soldier,  at 
once  brave,  wise,  cool,  resolute,  and  devoted,  heart  and  soul, 
to  the  cause. 

Personally,  the  commander-in-chief  was  also,  by  this  time, 
extremely  popular.  He  did  not  mingle  with  the  troops  to 
any  great  extent,  nor  often  relax  the  air  of  dignity,  some 
what  tinged  with  reserve,  which  was  natural  with  him. 
This  reserve,  however,  never  amounted  to  stiffness  or  "  offi 
cial"  coolness.  On  the  contrary,  Lee  was  markedly  free 
from  the  chill  demeanor  of  the  martinet,  and  had  become 
greatly  endeared  to  the  men  by  the  unmistakable  evidences 
which  he  had  given  them  of  his  honesty,  sincerity,  and  kind 
ly  feeling  for  them.  It  cannot,  indeed,  be  said  that  he  sus 
tained  the  same  relation  toward  the  troops  as  General  Jack 
son.  For  the  latter  illustrious  soldier,  the  men  had  a  species 
of  familiar  affection,  the  result,  in  a  great  degree,  of  the  in 
formal  and  often  eccentric  demeanor  of  the  individual.  There 
was  little  or  nothing  in  Jackson  to  indicate  that  he  was  an 
officer  holding  important  command.  He  was  without  re 
serve,  and  exhibited  none  of  that  formal  courtesy  which  char 
acterized  Lee.  His  manners,  on  the  contrary,  were  quite  in 
formal,  familiar,  and  conciliated  in  return  a  familiar  regard. 
We  repeat  the  word  familiar  as  conveying  precisely  the 
idea  intended  to  be  expressed.  It  indicated  the  difference 
between  these  two  great  soldiers  in  their  outward  appear 
ance.  Lee  retained  about  him,  upon  all  occasions,  more  or 
less  of  the  commander-in-chief,  passing  before  the  troops  on 
an  excellent  and  well-groomed  horse,  his  figure  erect  and 
graceful  in  the  saddle,  for  he  was  one  of  the  best  riders  in 


LEE  IN  DECEMBER,    1862.  203 

the  army ;  his  demeanor  grave  and  thoughtful ;  his  whole 
bearing  that  of  a  man  intrusted  with  great  responsibilities 
and  the  general  care  of  the  whole  army.  Jackson's  personal 
appearance  and  air  were  very  different.  His  dress  was  gen 
erally  dingy :  a  faded  cadet-cap  tilted  over  his  eyes,  causing 
him  to  raise  his  chin  into  the  air ;  his  stirrups  were  apt  to 
be  too  short,  and  his  knees  were  thus  elevated  ungracefully, 
and  he  would  amble  along  on  his  rawboned  horse  with  a 
singularly  absent-minded  expression  of  countenance,  raising, 
from  time  to  time,  his  right  hand  and  slapping  his  knee. 
This  brief  outline  of  the  two  commanders  will  serve  to  show 
the  difference  between  them  personally,  and  it  must  be  add 
ed  that  Jackson's  eccentric  bearing  was  the  source,  in  some 
degree,  of  his  popularity.  The  men  admired  him  immensely 
for  his  great  military  ability,  and  his  odd  ways  procured  for 
him  that  familiar  liking  to  which  we  have  alluded. 

It  is  not  intended,  however,  in  these  observations  to  con 
vey  the  idea  that  General  Lee  was  regarded  as  a  stiff  and 
unapproachable  personage  of  whom  the  private  soldiers 
stood  in  awe.  Such  a  statement  would  not  express  the 
truth.  Lee  was  perfectly  approachable,  and  no  instance  is 
upon  record,  or  ever  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  present 
writer,  in  which  he  repelled  the  approach  of  his  men,  or  re 
ceived  the  humblest  of  them  with  any  thing  but  kindness. 
He  was  naturally  simple  and  kind,  with  great  gentleness 
and  patience ;  and  it  will  not  be  credible,  to  any  who  knew 
the  man,  that  he  ever  made  any  difference  in  his  treatment 
of  those  who  approached  him  from  a  consideration  of  their 
rank  in  the  army.  His  theory,  expressed  upon  many  occa 
sions,  was,  that  the  private  soldiers — men  who  fought  with 
out  the  stimulus  of  rank,  emolument,  or  individual  renown 


204  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

— were  the  most  meritorious  class  of  the  army,  and  that 
they  deserved  and  should  receive  the  utmost  respect  and 
consideration.  This  statement,  however,  is  doubtless  unne 
cessary.  Men  of  Lee's  pride  and  dignity  never  make  a  dif 
ference  in  their  treatment  of  men,  because  one  is  humble, 
and  the  other  of  high  rank.  Of  such  human  beings  it  may 
be  said  that  noblesse  oblige. 

The  men  of  the  army  had  thus  found  their  commander 
all  that  they  could  wish,  and  his  increasing  personal  popu 
larity  was  shown  by  the  greater  frequency  with  which  they 
now  spoke  of  him  as  "  Marse  Robert,"  "  Old  Uncle  Robert," 
and  by  other  familiar  titles.  This  tendency  in  troops  is  al 
ways  an  indication  of  personal  regard  ;  these  nicknames  had 
been  already  showered  upon  Jackson,  and  General  Lee  was 
having  his  turn.  The  troops  regarded  him  now  more  as 
their  fellow-soldier  than  formerly,  having  found  that  his 
dignity  was  not  coldness,  and  that  he  would,  under  no 
temptation,  indulge  his  personal  convenience,  or  fare  better 
than  themselves.  It  was  said — we  know  not  with  what 
truth — that  the  habit  of  Northern  generals  in  the  war  was 
to  look  assiduously  to  their  individual  comfort  in  selecting 
their  quarters,  and  to  take  pleasure  in  surrounding  them 
selves  with  glittering  staff-officers,  body-guards,  and  other 
indications  of  their  rank,  and  the  consideration  which  they 
expected.  In  these  particulars  Lee  differed  extremely  from 
his  opponents,  and  there  were  no  evidences  whatever,  at  his 
headquarters,  that  he  was  the  commander-in-chief,  or  even 
an  officer  of  high  rank.  He  uniformly  lived  in  a  tent,  in 
spite  of  the  urgent  invitations  of  citizens  to  use  their  houses 
for  his  headquarters  ;  and  this  refusal  was  the  result  both 
of  an  indisposition  to  expose  these  gentlemen  to  annoyance 


LEE  IN  DECEMBER,   1862.  205 

from  the  enemy  when  he  himself  retired,  and  of  a  rooted  ob 
jection  to  fare  better  than  his  troops.  They  had  tents  only, 
often  indeed  were  without  even  that  much  covering,  and  it 
was  repugnant  to  Lee's  feelings  to  sleep  under  a  good  roof 
when  the  troops  were  so  much  exposed.  His  headquarters 
tent,  at  this  time  (December,  1862),  as  before  and  afterward, 
was  what  is  called  a  "  house-tent,"  not  differing  in  any  partic 
ular  from  those  used  by  the  private  soldiers  of  the  army  in 
winter-quarters.  It  was  pitched  in  an  opening  in  the  wood 
near  the  narrow  road  leading  to  Hamilton's  Crossing,  with 
the  tents  of  the  officers  of  the  staff  grouped  near ;  and,  with 
the  exception  of  an  orderly,  who  always  waited  to  summon 
couriers  to  carry  dispatches,  there  was  nothing  in  the  shape 
of  a  body-guard  visible,  or  any  indication  that  the  unpre 
tending  group  of  tents  was  the  army  headquarters. 

"Within,  no  article  of  luxury  was  to  be  seen.  A  few 
plain  and  indispensable  objects  were  all  which  the  tent  con 
tained.  The  covering  of  the  commander-in-chief  was  an  or 
dinary  army  blanket,  and  his  fare  was  plainer,  perhaps,  than 
that  of  the  majority  of  his  officers  and  men.  This  was  the 
result  of  an  utter  indifference,  in  Lee,  to  personal  conven 
ience  or  indulgence.  Citizens  frequently  sent  him  delica 
cies,,  boxes  filled  with  turkeys,  hams,  wine,  cordials,  and 
other  things,  peculiarly  tempting  to  one  leading  the  hard 
life  of  the  soldier,  but  these  were  almost  uniformly  sent  to 
the  sick  in  some  neighboring  hospital.  Lee's  principle  in  so 
acting  seems  to  have  been  to  set  the  good  example  to  his 
officers  of  not  faring  better  than  their  men ;  but  he  was  un 
doubtedly  indifferent  naturally  to  luxury  of  all  descriptions. 
In  his  habits  and  feelings  he  was  not  the  self-indulgent  man 
of  peace,  but  the  thorough  soldier,  willing  to  live  hard,  to 


206  LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

sleep  upon  the  ground,  and  to  disregard  all  sensual  indul 
gence.  In  his  other  habits  he  was  equally  abstinent.  He 
cared  nothing  for  wine,  whiskey,  or  any  stimulant,  and 
never  used  tobacco  in  any  form.  He  rarely  relaxed  his 
energies  in  any  thing  calculated  to  amuse  him ;  but,  when 
not  riding  along  his  lines,  or  among  the  camps  to  see  in  per 
son  that  the  troops  were  properly  cared  for,  generally  passed 
his  time  in  close  attention  to  official  duties  connected  with 
the  well-being  of  the  army,  or  in  correspondence  with  the 
authorities  at  Richmond.  "WTien  he  relaxed  from  this  con 
tinuous  toil,  it  was  to  indulge  in  some  quiet  and  simple  di 
version,  social  converse  with  ladies  in  houses  at  which  he 
chanced  to  stop,  caresses  bestowed  upon  children,  with  whom 
he  was  a  great  favorite,  and  frequently  in  informal  conver 
sation  with  his  officers.  At  "  Hayfield  "  and  "  Moss  Neck," 
two  hospitable  houses  below  Fredericksburg,  he  at  this  time 
often  stopped  and  spent  some  time  in  the  society  of  the 
ladies  and  children  there.  One  of  the  latter,  a  little  curly- 
headed  girl,  would  come  up  to  him  always  to  receive  her 
accustomed  kiss,  and  one  day  confided  to  him,  as  a  personal 
friend,  her  desire  to  kiss  General  Jackson,  who  blushed  like 
a  girl  when  Lee,  with  a  quiet  laugh,  told  him  of  the  child's 
wish.  On  another  occasion,  when  his  small  friend  came  to 
receive  his  caress,  he  said,  laughing,  that  she  would  show 
more  taste  in  selecting  a  younger  gentleman  than  himself, 
and,  pointing  to  a  youthful  officer  in  a  corner  of  the  room, 
added,  "There  is  the  handsome  Major  Pelham!"  which 
caused  that  modest  young  soldier  to  blush  with  confusion. 
The  bearing  of  General  Lee  in  these  hours  of  relaxation, 
was  quite  charming,  and  made  him  warm  friends.  His  own 
pleasure  and  gratification  were  plain,  and  gratified  others, 


LEE  IN  DECEMBER,   1862.  207 

who,  in  the  simple  and  kindly  gentleman  in  the  plain  gray 
uniform,  found  it  difficult  to  recognize  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Southern  army. 

These  moments  of  relaxation  were,  however,  only  occa 
sional.  All  the  rest  was  toil,  and  the  routine  of  hard  work 
and  grave  assiduity  went  on  month  after  month,  and  year 
after  year,  with  little  interruption.  "With  the  exceptions 
which  we  have  noted,  all  pleasures  and  distractions  seemed 
of  little  interest  to  Lee,  and  to  the  present  writer,  at  least, 
he  seemed  on  all  occasions  to  bear  the  most  striking  resem 
blance  to  the  traditional  idea  of  "Washington.  High  prin 
ciple  and  devotion  to  duty  were  plainly  this  human  being's 
springs  of  action,  and  he  went  through  the  hard  and  con 
tinuous  labor  incident  to  army  command  with  a  grave  and 
systematic  attention,  wholly  indifferent,  it  seemed,  to  almost 
every  species  of  diversion  and  relaxation. 

This  attempt  to  show  how  Lee  appeared  at  that  time  to 
his  solders,  has  extended  to  undue  length,  and  we  shall  be 
compelled  to  defer  a  full  notice  of  the  most  interesting  and 
beautiful  trait  of  his  character.  This  was  his  humble  and 
profound  piety.  The  world  has  by  no  means  done  him  jus 
tice  upon  this  subject.  No  one  doubted  during  the  war  that 
General  Lee  was  a  sincere  Christian  in  conviction,  and  his 
exemplary  moral  character  and  life  were  beyond  criticism. 
Beyond  this  it  is  doubtful  if  any  save  his  intimate  associates 
understood  the  depth  of  his  feeling  on  the  greatest  of  all 
subjects.  Jackson's  strong  religious  fervor  was  known  and 
often  alluded  to,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  Lee  was  regarded  as  a 
person  of  equally  fervent  convictions  and  feelings.  And 
yet  the  fact  is  certain  that  faith  in  God's  providence  and  re 
liance  upon  the  Almighty  were  the  foundation  of  all  his  ac- 


LEE  INVADES  MARYLAND. 

tions,  and  the  secret  of  his  supreme  composure  under  all 
trials.  He  was  naturally  of  such  reserve  that  it  is  not  sin 
gular  that  the  extent  of  this  sentiment  was  not  understood. 
Even  then,  however,  good  men  who  frequently  visited  him, 
and  conversed  with  him  upon  religious  subjects,  came  away 
with  their  hearts  burning  within  them.  "When  the  Rev.  J. 
William  Jones,  with  another  clergyman,  went,  in  1863,  to 
consult  him  in  reference  to  the  better  observance  of  the  Sab 
bath  in  the  army,  "  his  eye  brightened,  and  his  whole  coun 
tenance  glowed  with  pleasure  ;  and  as,  in  his  simple,  feeling 
words,  he  expressed  his  delight,  we  forgot  the  great  warrior, 
and  only  remembered  that  we  were  communing  with  an 
humble,  earnest  Christian."  When  he  was  informed  that 
the  chaplains  prayed  for  him,  tears  started  to  his  eyes,  and 
he  replied  :  "  I  sincerely  thank  you  for  that,  and  I  can  only 
say  that  I  am  a  poor  sinner,  trusting  in  Christ  alone,  and 
that  I  need  all  the  prayers  you  can  offer  for  me." 

On  the  day  after  this  interview  he  issued  an  earnest  gen 
eral  order,  enjoining  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  by  offi 
cers  and  men,  urging  them  to  attend  public  worship  in  their 
camps,  and  forbidding  the  performance  on  Sunday  of  all 
official  duties  save  those  necessary  to  the  subsistence  or 
safety  of  the  army.  He  always  attended  public  worship,  if 
it  were  in  his  power  to  do  so,  and  often  the  earnestness  of  the 
preacher  would  "  make  his  eye  kindle  and  his  face  glow." 
He  frequently  attended  the  meetings  of  his  chaplains,  took 
a  warm  interest  in  the  proceedings,  and  uniformly  exhibited 
declares  one  who  could  speak  from  personal  knowledge,  an 
ardent  desire  for  the  promotion  of  religion  in  the  army. 
He  did  not  fail,  on  many  occasions,  to  show  his  men  that  he 
was  a  sincere  Christian.  "When  General  Meade  came  over 


LEE  IN  DECEMBER,   1862.  209 

to  Mine  Run,  and  the  Southern  army  marched  to  meet  him, 
Lee  was  riding  along  his  line  of  battle  in  the  woods,  when 
he  came  upon  a  party  of  soldiers  holding  a  prayer-meeting 
on  the  eve  of  battle.  Such  a  spectacle  was  not  unusual  in 
the  army  then  and  afterward — the  rough  fighters  were  often 
men  of  profound  piety— and  on  this  occasion  the  sight  be 
fore  him  seems  to  have  excited  deep  emotion  in  Lee.  He 
stopped,  dismounted — the  staff-officers  accompanying  him 
did  the  same — and  Lee  uncovered  his  head,  and  stood  in  an 
attitude  of  profound  respect  and  attention,  while  the  earnest 
prayer  proceeded,  in  the  midst  of  the  thunder  of  artillery 
and  the  explosion  of  the  enemy's  shells.* 

Other  incidents  indicating  the  simple  and  earnest  piety 
of  Lee  will  be  presented  in  the  course  of  this  narrative. 
The  fame  of  the  soldier  has  in  some  degree  thrown  into  the 
background  the  less-imposing  trait  of  personal  piety  in  the 
individual.  No  delineation  of  Lee,  however,  would  be  com 
plete  without  a  full  statement  of  his  religious  principles  and 
feelings.  As  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia,  he  won  that  august  renown  which  encir 
cles  his  name  with  a  halo  of  military  glory,  both  in  America 
and  Europe.  His  battles  and  victories  are  known  to  all 
men.  It  is  not  known  to  all  that  the  illustrious  soldier 
whose  fortune  it  was  to  overthrow,  one  after  another,  the 
best  soldiers  of  the  Federal  army,  was  a  simple,  humble, 
and  devoted  Christian,  whose  eyes  filled  with  tears  when  he 
was  informed  that  his  chaplains  prayed  for  him ;  and  who 
said,  "  I  am  a  poor  sinner,  trusting  in  Christ  alone,  and 
need  all  the  prayers  you  can  offer  for  me." 

*  These  details  are  given  on  the  authority  of  the  Rev.  J.  William  Jones, 
of  Lexington,  Ya. 


PART  VI. 

CHAN  CELL  OR  SVILLE    AND     GETTY  S- 
E  URG. 


I. 

ADVANCE  OF  GENEEAL  HOOKER. 

LEE  remained  throughout  the  winter  at  his  headquarters 
in  the  woods  south  of  Fredericksburg,  watching  the  North 
ern  army,  which  continued  to  occupy  the  country  north  of 
the  city,  with  the  Potomac  River  as  their  base  of  supplies. 

"With  the  coming  of  spring,  it  was  obviously  the  inten 
tion  of  the  Federal  authorities  to  again  essay  the  crossing 
of  the  Rappahannock  at  some  point  either  above  or  below 
Fredericksburg ;  and  as  the  movement  above  was  less  diffi 
cult,  and  promised  more  decisive  results,  it  was  seen  by  Gen 
eral  Lee  that  this  would  probably  be  the  quarter  from  which 
he  might  expect  an  attack.  General  Stuart,  a  soldier  of 
sound  judgment,  said,  during  the  winter,  "  The  next  battle 
will  take  place  at  Chancellorsville,"  and  the  position  of  Lee's 
troops  seemed  to  indicate  that  this  was  also  his  own  opinion. 
His  right  remained  still  opposite  Fredericksburg,  barring  the 
direct  approach  to  Richmond,  but  his  left  extended  up  the 
Rappahannock  beyond  Chancellorsville,  and  all  the  fords 


ADVANCE  OF  GENERAL  HOOKER.  211 

were  vigilantly  guarded  to  prevent  a  sudden  flank  move 
ment  by  the  enemy  in  that  direction.  As  will  be  seen,  the 
anticipations  of  Lee  were  to  be  fully  realized.  The  heavy 
blow  aimed  at  him,  in  the  first  days  of  spring,  was  to  come 
from  the  quarter  in  which  he  had  expected  it. 

The  Federal  army  was  now  under  command  of  General 
Joseph  Hooker,  an  officer  of  dash,  energy,  excellent  admin 
istrative  capacity,  and,  Northern  writers  add,   extremely 
prone  to   "self-assertion."      General  Hooker  had  harshly 
criticised  the  military  operations  both  of  General  McClellan 
on  the  Chickahominy,  and  of  General  Burn  side  at  Freder- 
icksburg,  and  so  strong  an  impression  had  these  strictures 
made  upon  the  minds  of  the  authorities,  that  they  came  to 
the  determination  of  intrusting  the  command  of  the  army 
to  the  officer  who  made  them,  doubtless  concluding  that  his 
own  success  would  prove  greater  than  that  of  his  predeces 
sors.     This  opinion  seemed  borne  out  by  the  first  proceed 
ings  of  General  Hooker.     He  set  to  work  energetically  to 
reorganize  and  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  army,  did  away 
with  General  Burnside's  defective    "  grand  division "  ar 
rangement,  consolidated  the  cavalry  into  an  effective  corps, 
enforced  strict  discipline  among  officers  and  men  alike,  and 
at  the  beginning  of  spring  had  brought  his  army  to  a  high 
state  of  efficiency.     His  confident  tone  inspired  the  men; 
the  depression  resulting  from  the  great  disaster  at  Freder- 
icksburg  was  succeeded  by  a  spirit  of  buoyant  hope,  and  the 
army  was  once  more  that  great  war-engine,  ready  for  any 
undertaking,  which  it  had  been  under  McClellan. 

It  numbered,  according  to  one  Federal  statement,  one 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  thousand  three  hundred  men ;  but 

according  to  another,  which  appears  more  reliable,  one  him- 
15 


212  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

dred  and  twenty  thousand  infantry  and  artillery,  and  twelve 
thousand  cavalry ;  in  all,  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  thou 
sand  troops.  The  army  of  General  Lee  was  considerably 
smaller.  Two  divisions  of  Longstreet's  corps  had  been  sent 
to  Suffolk,  south  of  James  River,  to  obtain  supplies  in  that 
region,  and  this  force  was  not  present  at  the  battle  of  Chan- 
cellorsville.  The  actual  numbers  under  Lee's  command 
will  appear  from  the  following  statement  of  Colonel  Walter 
II.  Taylor,  assistant  adjutant-general  of  the  army : 

Our  strength  at  Chancellors ville  : 

Anderson  and  McLaws 13,000 

Jackson  (Hill,    Bodes,  and  Trimble) 21,000 

Early  (Fredericksburg) 6,000 


40,000 
Cavalry  and  artillery 7,000 


Total  of  all  arms 47,000 

As  the  Federal  infantry  numbered  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand,  according  to  the  smallest  estimate  of  Fed 
eral  authorities,  and  Lee's  infantry  forty  thousand,  the 
Northern  force  was  precisely  three  times  as  large  as  the 
Southern. 

General  Hooker  had  already  proved  himself  an  excellent 
administrative  officer,  and  his  plan  of  campaign  against  Lee 
seemed  to  show  that  he  also  possessed  generalship  of  a  high 
order.  He  had  determined  to  pass  the  Rappahannock  above 
Fredericksburg,  turn  Lee's  flank,  and  thus  force  him  to  de 
liver  battle  under  this  disadvantage,  or  retire  upon  Rich 
mond.  The  safe  passage  of  the  stream  was  the  first  great 
object,  and  General  Hooker's  dispositions  to  effect  this  were 
highly  judicious.  A  force  of  about  twenty  thousand  men 


.•nw'v' 

*    .-&r  o. 


ADVANCE  OF  GENERAL  HOOKER.  213 

was  to  pass  the  Kappaliannock  at  Fredericksburg,  and  thus 
produce  upon  Lee  the  impression  that  the  Federal  army  was 
about  to  renew  the  attempt  in  which  they  had  failed  under 
General  Burnside.  While  General  Lee's  attention  was  en 
gaged  by  the  force  thus  threatening  his  right,  the  main  body 
of  the  Northern  army  was  to  cross  the  Rappahannock  and 
Rapidan  above  Chancellorsville,  and,  sweeping  down  rapidly 
upon  the  Confederate  left  flank,  take  up  a  strong  position 
between  Chancellorsville  and  Fredericksburg.  The  column 
which  had  crossed  at  the  latter  point  to  engage  the  atten 
tion  of  the  Confederate  commander,  was  then  to  recross  to 
the  northern  bank,  move  rapidly  to  the  upper  fords,  which 
the  advance  of  the  main  body  would  by  that  time  have  un 
covered  ;  and,  a  second  time  crossing  to  the  southern  bank, 
unite  with  the  rest.  Thus  the  whole  Federal  army  would  be 
concentrated  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Rappahannock, 
and  General  Lee  would  be  compelled  to  leave  his  camps  on 
the  hills  of  the  Massaponnax,  and  fight  upon  ground  dic 
tated  by  his  adversary.  If  he  did  not  thus  accept  battle, 
but  one  other  course  was  left.  lie  must  fall  back  in  the 
direction  of  Eichmond,  to  prevent  his  adversary  from  attack 
ing  his  rear,  and  capturing  or  destroying  his  army. 

In  order  to  insure  the  success  of  this  promising  plan  of 
attack,  a  strong  column  of  well-mounted  cavalry  was  to 
cross  in  advance  of  the  army  and  strike  for  the  railroads  in 
Lee's  rear,  connecting  him  with  Richmond  and  the  South 
west.  Thus  flanked  or  cut  off,  and  with  all  his  communica 
tions  destroyed,  it  seemed  probable  that  General  Lee  would 
suffer  decisive  defeat,  and  that  the  Federal  army  would 
march  in  triumph  to  the  capture  of  the  Confederate  capital. 

This  plan  was  certainly  excellent,  and  seemed  sure  to 


214  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

succeed.  It  was,  however,  open  to  some  criticism,  as  the 
event  showed.  General  Hooker  was  detaching,  in  the  be 
ginning  of  the  movement,  his  whole  cavalry  force  for  a  dis 
tant  operation,  and  dividing  his  army  by  the  ruse  at  Fred- 
ericksburg,  in  face  of  an  adversary  not  likely  to  permit  that 
great  error  to  escape  him.  While  advancing  thus,  appar 
ently  to  the  certain  destruction  of  Lee,  General  Hooker  was 
leaving  a  vulnerable  point  in  his  own  armor.  Lee  would 
probably  discover  that  point,  and  aim  to  pierce  his  oppo 
nent  there.  At  most,  General  Hooker  was  wrapping  in 
huge  folds  the  sword  of  Lee,  not  remembering  that  there 
was  danger  to  the  cordon  as  well  as  to  the  weapon. 

Such  was  the  plan  which  General  Hooker  had  devised 
to  bring  back  that  success  of  the  Federal  arms  in  the  spring 
of  1863  which  had  attended  them  in  the  early  spring  of 
1862.  At  this  latter  period  a  heavy  cloud  rested  upon  the 
Confederate  cause.  Donaldson  and  Roanoke  Island,  Fort 
M  aeon,  and  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  had  then  fallen ;  at 
Elkhorn,  Kernstown,  ISTewbern,  and  other  places,  the  Fed 
eral  forces  had  achieved  important  successes.  These  had 
been  followed,  however,  by  the  Southern  victories  on  the 
Chickahominy,  at  Manassas,  and  at  Fredericksburg.  Near 
this  last-named  spot  now,  where  the  year  had  wound  up 
with  so  mortifying  a  Federal  failure,  General  Hooker  hoped 
to  reverse  events,  and  recover  the  Federal  glories  of  the 
preceding  spring. 

Operations  began  as  early  as  the  middle  of  March, 
when  General  Averill,  with  about  three  thousand  cavalry, 
crossed  the  Happahannock  at  Kelly's  Ford,  above  its  junc 
tion  with  the  Kapidan,  and  made  a  determined  attack  upon 
nearly  eight  hundred  horsemen  there,  under  General  Fitz 


ADVANCE   OF  GENERAL  HOOKER.  215 

Lee,  with  the  view  of  passing  through  Culpepper,  crossing 
the  Rapidan,  and  cutting  Lee's  communications  in  the  di 
rection  of  Gordonsville.  The  obstinate  stand  of  General 
Fitz  Lee's  small  force,  however,  defeated  this  object,  and 
General  Averill  was  forced  to  retreat  beyond  the  Rappa- 
hannock  again  with  considerable  loss,  and  abandon  his  ex 
pedition.  In  this  engagement  fell  Major  John  Pelham, 
who  had  been  styled  in.  Lee's  first  report  of  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg  "the  gallant  Pelham,"  and  whose  brave 
stand  on  the  Port  Royal  road  had  drawn  from  Lee  the  ex 
clamation,  "It  is  glorious  to  see  such  courage  in  one  so 
young !  "  Pelham  was,  in  spite  of  his  youth,  an  artillerist 
of  the  first  order  of  excellence,  and  his  loss  was  a  serious 
one,  in  spite  of  his  inferior  rank. 

After  this  action  every  thing  remained  quiet  until  tow 
ard  the  end  of  April — General  Lee  continuing  to  hold  the 
same  position  with  his  right  at  Fredericksburg,  his  left  at 
the  fords  near   Chancellorsville,    and  his    cavalry,   under 
Stuart,  guarding  the  banks  of  the  Rappahannock  in  Cul 
pepper.     On  the  27th  of  April,  General  Hooker  began  his 
forward  movement,  by  advancing  three  corps  of  his  army 
—the  Fifth,  Eleventh,  and  Twelfth— to  the  banks  of  the 
river,  near  Kelly's  Ford ;  and,  on  the  next  day,  this  force 
was  joined  by  three  additional  corps — the  First,  Third,  and 
Sixth — and  the  whole,  on  Wednesday  (the  29th),  crossed 
the  river  without  difficulty.     That  this  movement  was  a 
surprise  to  Lee,  as  has  been  supposed  by  some  persons,  is  a  I 
mistake.      Stuart  was  an  extremely  vigilant  picket-officer,    7 
and  both  he  and  General  Lee  were  in  the  habit  of  sending   I 
accomplished  scouts  to  watch  any  movements  in  the  Federal    \ 
camps.     As  soon  as  these  movements — which,  in  a  large    / 


216  CHANCELLORS VILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

army,  cannot  be  concealed — took  place,  information  waa 
always  promptly  brought,  and  it  was  not  possible  that 
General  Hooker  could  move  three  large  army  corps  toward 
the  Eappahannock,  as  he  did  on  April  27th,  without  early 
knowledge  on  the  part  of  his  adversary  of  so  important  a 
circumstance. 

As  the  Federal  infantry  thus  advanced,  the  large  cavalry 
force  began  also  to  move  through  Culpepper  toward  the 
Central  Railroad  in  Lee's  rear.  This  column  was  command 
ed  by  General  Stoneman,  formerly  a  subordinate  officer 
in  Lee's  old  cavalry  regiment  in  the  United  States  Army  ; 
and,  as  General  Stoneman's  operations  were  entirely  separate 
from  those  of  the  infantry,  and  not  of  much  importance,  we 
shall  here  dismiss  them  in  a  few  words.  He  proceeded  rap 
idly  across  Culpepper,  harassed  in  his  march  by  a  small 
body  of  horse,  under  General  William  H.  F.  Lee ;  reached 
the  Central  Eailroad  at  Trevillian's,  below  Gordonsville,  and 
tore  up  a  portion  of  it ;  passed  on  to  James  River,  ravaging 
the  country,  and  attempted  the  destruction  of  the  Columbia 
Aqueduct,  but  did  not  succeed  in  so  doing ;  when,  hearing 
probably  of  the  unforeseen  result  at  Chancellorsville,  he  hast 
ened  back  to  the  Rapidan,  pursued  and  harassed  as  in  his 
advance,  and,  crossing,  regained  the  Federal  lines  beyond 
the  Rappahannock. 

To  return  to  the  movements  of  the  main  Federal  force, 
under  the  personal  command  of  General  Hooker.  This 
vanced  rapidly  across  the  angle  between  the  two  rivers, 
no  obstruction  but  that  offered  by  the  cavalry  under  Stuart, 
and  on  Thursday,  April  30th,  had  crossed  the  Rapidan  at 
Germanna  and  Ely's  Fords,  and  was  steadily  concentrating 
around  Chancellorsville.  At  the  same  time  the  Second 


lorce, 
iis  ad- 
5,  with  I 


ADVANCE   OF  GENERAL  HOOKER.  217 

Corps,  under  General  Couch,  was  preparing  to  cross  at 
United  States  Ford,  a  few  miles  distant ;  and  General  Sedg- 
wick,  commanding  the  detached  force  at  Fredericksburg, 
having  crossed  and  threatened  Lee,  in  obedience  to  orders, 
now  began  passing  back  to  the  northern  bank  again,  in 
order  to  march  up  and  join  the  main  body.  Thus  all  things 
seemed  in  train  to  succeed  on  the  side  of  the  Federal  arm y. 
General  Hooker  was  over  with  about  one  hundred  thousand 
men — twenty  thousand  additional  troops  would  soon  join 
him.  Lee's  army  seemed  scattered,  and  not  "  in  hand  "  to 
oppose  him ;  and  there  was  some  ground  for  the  ebullition 
of  joy  attributed  to  General  Hooker,  as  he  saw  his  great 
force  massing  steadily  in  the  vicinity  of  Chancellorsville. 
To  those  around  him  he  exclaimed:  "The  rebel  army  is 
now  the  legitimate  property  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
They  may  as  well  patk  up  their  haversacks  and  make  for 
Richmond,  and  I  shall  be  after  them !  " 

In  a  congratulatory  order  to  his  troops,  he  declared  that 
they  occupied  now  a  position  so  strong  that  "  the  enemy 
must  either  ingloriously  fly,  or  come  out  from  behind  his  de 
fences  and  give  us  battle  on  our  own  ground,  where  certain 
destruction  awaits  him." 

Such  were  the  joyful  anticipations  of  General  Hooker, 
who  seems  to  have  regarded  the  campaign  as  virtually  ended 
by  the  successful  passage  of  the  river.  His  expressions  and 
his  general  order  would  seem  to  indicate  an  irrepressible  joy, 
but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  skilful  soldiers  under  him  shared  this 
somewhat  juvenile  enthusiasm.  The  gray  cavalier  at  Fred 
ericksburg  was  not  reported  to  be  retiring,  as  was  expected. 
On  the  contrary,  the  Southern  troops  seemed  to  be  moving 
forward  with  the  design  of  accepting  battle. 


218  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

Lee  had  determined  promptly  upon  that  course  as  soon 
as  Stuart  sent  him  information  of  the  enemy's  movements. 
Chancellorsville  was  at  once  seen  to  be  the  point  for  which 
General  Hooker  was  aiming,  and  Lee's  dispositions  were 
made  for  confronting  him  there  and  fighting  a  pitched  bat 
tle.  The  brigades  of  Posey  and  Mahone,  of  Anderson's  Di 
vision,  had  been  in  front  of  Banks's  and  Ely's  Fords,  and 
this  force  of  about  eight  thousand  men  was  promptly  ordered 
to  fall  back  on  Chancellorsville.  At  the  same  time  Wright's 
brigade  was  sent  up  to  reenforce  this  column ;  but  the  ene 
my  continuing  to  advance  in  great  force,  General  Anderson, 
commanding  the  whole,  fell  back  from  Chancellorsville  to 
Tabernacle  Church,  on  the  road  to  Fredericksburg,  where 
he  was  joined  on  the  next  day  by  Jackson,  whom  Lee  had 
sent  forward  to  his  assistance. 

The  ruse  at  Fredericksburg  had  not  long  deceived  the 
Confederate  commander.  General  Sedgwick,  with  three 
corps,  in  all  about  twenty-two  thousand  men,  had  crossed 
just  below  Fredericksburg  on  the  29th,  and  Lee  had  prompt 
ly  directed  General  Jackson  to  oppose  him  there.  Line  of 
battle  was  accordingly  formed  in  the  enemy's  front  beyond 
Hamilton's  Crossing ;  but  as,  neither  on  that  day  nor  the 
next,  any  further  advance  was  made  by  General  Sedgwick, 
the  whole  movement  was  seen  to  be  a  feint  to  cover  the  real 
operations  above.  Lee  accordingly  turned  his  attention  in 
the  direction  of  Chancellorsville.  Jackson,  as  we  have  re 
lated,  was  sent  up  to  reenforce  General  Anderson,  and  Lee 
followed  with  the  rest  of  the  army,  with  the  exception  of 
about  BIX  thousand  men,  under  General  Early,  whom  he 
left  to  defend  the  crossing  at  Fredericksburg. 

Such  were  the  positions  of  the  opposing  forces  on  the 


THE  WILDERNESS.  219 

1st  day  of  May.  Each  commander  had  displayed  excellent 
generalship  in  the  preliminary  movements  preceding  the 
actual  fighting.  At  last,  however,  the  opposing  lines  were 
facing  each  other,  and  the  real  struggle  was  about  to  begin. 


II. 

THE    WILDERNESS. 

THE  "  Wilderness,"  as  the  region  around  Chancellors- 
ville  is  called,  is  so  strange  a  country,  and  the  character  of 
the  ground  had  so  important  a  bearing  upon  the  result  of 
the  great  battle  fought  there,  that  a  brief  description  of  the 
locality  will  be  here  presented. 

The  region  is  a  nearly  unbroken  expanse  of  dense  thicket 
pierced  only  by  narrow  and  winding  roads,  over  which  the 
traveller  rides,  mile  after  mile,  without  seeing  a  single  hu 
man  habitation.     It  would  seem,  indeed,  that  the  whole  bar 
ren  and  melancholy  tract  had  been  given   up  to  the  owl, 
the  whippoorwill,  and  the  moccasin,  its  original  tenants. 
The  plaintive  cries  of  the  night-birds  alone  break  the  gloomy 
silence  of  the   desolate   region,  and  the   shadowy  thicket 
stretching  in  every  direction  produces  a  depressing  effect 
upon  the  feelings.     Chancellorsville  is  in  the  centre  of  this 
singular  territory,  on  the  main  road,  or  rather  roads,  running 
from  Orange  Court-House  to  Fredericksburg,  from  which  lat 
ter  place  it  is  distant  about  ten  miles.     In  spite  of  its  impos 
ing  name,  Chancellorsville  was  simply  a  large  country-house, 
originally  inhabited  by  a  private  family,  but  afterward  used 
as  a  roadside  inn.     A  little  to  the  westward  the  "  Old  Turn 
pike  "  and  Orange  Plank-road  unite  as  they  approach  the 


220  CHANCELLORSYILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

spot,  where  they  again  divide,  to  unite  a  second  time  a  few 
miles  to  the  east,  where  they  form  the  main  highway  to 
Fredericksburg.  From  the  north  come  in  roads  from  United 
States  and  Ely's  Fords  ;  Germanna  Ford  is  northwest ;  from 
the  south  runs  the  "  Brock  Road  "  in  the  direction  of  the 
Rapidan,  passing  a  mile  or  two  west  of  the  place. 

The  whole  country,  the  roads,  the  chance  houses,  the 
silence,  the  unending  thicket,  in  this  dreary  wilderness,  pro 
duce  a  sombre  effect.  A  writer,  familiar  with  it,  says : 
"  There  all  is  wild,  desolate,  and  lugubrious.  Thicket,  un 
dergrowth,  and  jungle,  stretch  for  miles,  impenetrable  and 
untouched.  Narrow  roads  wind  on  forever  between  melan 
choly  masses  of  stunted  and  gnarled  oak.  Little  sunlight 
shines  there.  The  face  of  Nature  is  dreary  and  sad.  -It  was 
so  before  the  battle ;  it  is  not  more  cheerful  to-day,  when, 
as  you  ride  along,  you  see  fragments  of  shell,  rotting  knap 
sacks,  rusty  gun-barrels,  bleached  bones,  and  grinning  skulls. 
.  .  .  Into  this  jungle,"  continues  the  same  writer,  "  General 
Hooker  penetrated.  It  was  the  wolf  in  his  den,  ready  to 
tear  any  one  who  approached.  A  battle  there  seemed  im 
possible.  Neither  side  could  see  its  antagonist.  Artillery 
could  not  move ;  cavalry  could  not  operate ;  the  very  infan 
try  had  to  flatten  their  bodies  to  glide  between  the  stunted 
trees.  That  an  army  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
men  should  have  chosen  that  spot  to  fight  forty  thousand, 
and  not  only  chosen  it,  but  made  it  a  hundred  times  more 
impenetrable  by  felling  trees,  erecting  breastworks,  dispos 
ing  artillery  en  masse  to  sweep  every  road  and  bridle-path 
which  led  to  Chancellors ville — this  fact  seemed  incredible." 

It  was  no  part  of  the  original  plan  of  the  Federal  com 
mander  to  permit  himself  to  be  cooped  up  in  this  difficult 


THE  WILDERNESS.  221 

and  embarrassing  region,  where  it  was  impossible  to  ma 
noeuvre  his  large  army.  The  selection  of  the  Wilderness 
around  Chancellors ville,  as  the  ground  of  battle,  was  dic 
tated  by  Lee.  General  Hooker,  it  seems,  endeavored  to 
avoid  being  thus  shut  up  in  the  thicket,  and  hampered  in 
his  movements.  Finding  that  the  Confederate  force,  retir 
ing  from  in  front  of  Ely's  and  United  States  Fords,  had,  on 
reaching  Chancellorsville,  continued  to  fall  back  in  the  di 
rection  of  Fredericksburg,  he  followed  them  steadily,  passed 
through  the  Wilderness,  and,  emerging  into  the  open  coun 
try  beyond,  rapidly  began  forming  line  of  battle  on  ground 
highly  favorable  to  the  manoeuvring  of  his  large  force  in 
action.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  indicate  the  importance 
of  this  movement,  and  the  great  advantages  secured  by  it. 
The  left  of  General  Hooker's  line,  nearest  the  river,  was  at 
least  five  miles  in  advance  of  Chancellorsville,  and  com 
manded  Banks's  Ford,  thereby  shortening  fully  one-half  the 
distance  of  General  Sedgwick's  march  from  Fredericksburg, 
by  enabling  him  to  use  the  ford  in  question  as  a  place  of 
crossing  to  the  south  bank,  and  uniting  his  column  with  the 
main  body.  The  centre  and  right  of  the  Federal  army  had 
in  like  manner  emerged  from  the  thickets  of  the  Wilderness, 
and  occupied  cleared  ground,  sufficiently  elevated  to  afford 
them  great  advantages. 

This  was  in  the  forenoon  of  the  1st  of  May,  when  there 
was  no  force  in  General  Hooker's  front,  except  the  eight 
thousand  men  of  Anderson  at  Tabernacle  Church.  Jackson 
had  marched  at  midnight  from  the  Massaponnax  Hills,  with 
a  general  order  from  Lee  to  "  attack  and  repulse  the  ene 
my,"  but  had  not  yet  arrived.  There  was  thus  no  serious 
obstacle  in  the  path  of  the  Federal  commander,  who  had  it 


222  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

in  his  power,  it  would  seem,  to  mass  liis  entire  army  on  the 
commanding  ground  which  his  vanguard  already  occupied. 
Lee  was  aware  of  the  importance  of  the  position,  and,  had  he 
not  been  delayed  by  the  feint  of  General  Sedgwick,  would 
himself  have  seized  upon  it.  As  it  was,  General  Hooker 
seemed  to  have  won  the  prize  in  the  race,  and  Lee  would, 
apparently,  be  forced  to  assail  him  on  his  strong  ground,  or 
retire  in  the  direction  of  Richmond. 

The  movements  of  the  enemy  had,  however,  been  so  rapid 
that  Lee's  dispositions  seem  to  have  been  made  before  they 
were  fully  developed  and  accurately  known  to  him.  He 
had  sent  forward  Jackson,  and  now  proceeded  to  follow  in 
person,  leaving  only  a  force  of  about  six  thousand  men,  un 
der  Early,  to  defend  the  crossing  at  Fredericksburg.  The 
promptness  of  these  movements  of  the  Confederate  com 
mander  is  noticed  by  Northern  writers.  "Lee,  with  in 
stant  perception  of  the  situation,"  says  an  able  historian, 
"  now  seized  the  masses  of  his  force,  and,  with  the  grasp  of 
a  Titan,  swung  them  into  position,  as  a  giant  might  fling 
a  mighty  stone  from  a  sling."  * 

Such  were  the  relative  positions  of  the  two  armies  on  the 
1st  of  May:  General  Hooker's  forces  well  in  advance  of 
Chancellorsville,  and  rapidly  forming  line  of  battle  on  a 
ridge  in  open  country ;  General  Lee's,  stretching  along  the 
whole  distance,  from  Fredericksburg  to  Tabernacle  Church, 
and  certainly  not  in  any  condition  to  deliver  or  accept  bat 
tle.  The  Federal  commander  seemed  to  have  clearly  out- 
generalled  his  adversary,  and,  humanly  speaking,  the  move- 

*  Mr.  Swinton,  in  "  Campaigns  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac."  Whether  the 
force  under  Lee  could  be  justly  described  as  "  mighty,"  however,  the  reader 
will  form  his  own  opinion. 


THE  WILDERNESS.  223 

ments  of  the  two  armies,  up  to  this  time,  seemed  to  point  to 
a  decisive  Federal  success. 

General  Hooker's  own  act  reversed  all  this  brilliant 
promise.  At  the  very  moment  when  his  army  was  steadily 
concentrating  on  the  favorable  ground  in  advance  of  Chan- 
cellorsville,  the  Federal  commander,  for  some  reason  which 
has  never  been  divulged,  sent  a  peremptory  order  that  the 
entire  force  should  fall  back  into  the  "Wilderness.  This 
order,  reversing  every  thing,  is  said  to  have  been  received 
"  with  mingled  amazement  and  incredulity  "  by  his  officers, 
two  of  whom  sent  him  word  that,  from  the  great  advantages 
of  the  position,  it  should  be  "  held  at  all  hazards."  General 
Hooker's  reply  was,  "  Keturn  at  once."  The  army  accord 
ingly  fell  back  to  Chancellorsville. 

This  movement  undoubtedly  lost  General  Hooker  all  the 
advantages  which  up  to  that  moment  he  had  secured.  What 
his  motive  for  the  order  in  question  was,  it  is  impossible  for 
the  present  writer  to  understand,  unless  the  approach  of 
Lee  powerfully  affected  his  imagination,  and  he  supposed 
the  thicket  around  Chancellorsville  to  be  the  best  ground 
to  receive  that  assault  which  the  bold  advance  of  his  oppo 
nent  appeared  to  foretell.  Whatever  his  motive,  General 
Hooker  withdrew  his  lines  from  the  open  country,  fell  back 
to  the  vicinity  of  Chancellorsville,  and  began  to  erect  elabo 
rate  defences,  behind  which  to  receive  Lee's  attack. 

In  this  backward  movement  he  was  followed  and  har 
assed  by  the  forces  of  Jackson,  the  command  of  Anderson 
being  in  front.  Jackson's  maxim  was  to  always  press  an 
enemy  when  he  was  retiring ;  and  no  sooner  had  the  Federal 
forces  begun  to  move,  than  he  made  a  prompt  attack.  He 
continued  to  follow  them  up  toward  Chancellorsville  until 


224:  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

nightfall,  when  the  fighting  ceased,  the  Confederate  ad 
vance  having  been  pushed  to  Alrich's  house,  within  about 
two  miles  of  Chancellorsville.  Here  the  outer  line  of  the 
Federal  works  was  found,  and  Jackson  paused.  He  was 
unwilling  at  so  late  an  hour  to  attempt  an  assault  upon  them 
with  his  small  force,  and,  directing  further  movements  to 
cease,  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  commander-in-chief. 

Lee  arrived,  and  a  consultation  was  held.  The  question 
now  was,  the  best  manner,  with  a  force  of  about  thirty-five 
thousand,  to  drive  the  Federal  army,  of  about  one  hundred 
thousand,  beyond  the  Eappahannock. 


III. 

LEE'S     DETERMINATION. 

ON  this  night,  of  the  1st  of  May,  the  situation  of  affairs 
was  strange  indeed. 

General  Hooker  had  crossed  the  Rappahannock  with  a 
force  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  infantry,  and  had, 
without  obstruction,  secured  a  position  so  strong,  he  declared, 
that  Lee  must  either  "  ingloriously  fly,"  or  fight  a  battle  in 
which  "  certain  destruction  awaited  him."  So  absolutely 
convinced,  indeed,  was  the  Federal  commander,  of  the  re 
sult  of  the  coming  encounter,  that  he  had  jubilantly  de 
scribed  the  Southern  army  as  "  the  legitimate  property  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,"  which,  in  the  event  of  the  re 
treat  of  the  Confederates,  would  "  be  after  them."  There 
seemed  just  grounds  for  this  declaration,  whatever  question 
may  have  arisen  of  the  good  taste  displayed  by  General 
Hooker  in  making  it.  The  force  opposed  to  him  was  in  all 


LEE'S  DETERMINATION.  225 

about  forty-seven  thousand  men,  but,  as  cavalry  take  small 
part  in  pitched  battles,  Lee's  fighting  force  was  only  about 
forty  thousand.  To  drive  back  forty  thousand  with  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  would  not  apparently  prove 
difficult,  and  it  was  no  doubt  this  conviction  which  had  oc 
casioned  the  joyous  exclamation  of  General  Hooker. 

But  his  own  act,  and  the  nerve  of  his  adversary,  had  de 
feated  every  thing.  Instead  of  retreating  with  his  small 
force  upon  Eichmond,  Lee  had  advanced  to  accept  or  de 
liver  battle.  This  bold  movement,  which  General  Hooker 
does  not  seem  to  have  anticipated,  paralyzed  his  energies. 
He  had  not  only  crossed  the  two  rivers  without  loss,  but  had 
taken  up  a  strong  position,  where  he  could  manoeuvre  his 
army  perfectly,  when,  in  consequence  of  Lee's  approach 
with  the  evident  intent  of  fighting,  he  had  ceased  to  ad 
vance,  hesitated,  and  ended  by  retiring.  This  is  a  fair  sum 
mary  of  events  up  to  the  night  of  the  1st  of  May.  Gen 
eral  Hooker  had  advanced  boldly ;  he  was  now  falling  back. 
He  had  foretold  that  his  adversary  would  "  ingloriously  fly ; " 
and  that  adversary  was  pressing  him  closely.  The  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  he  had  declared,  would  soon  be  "  after"  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia ;  but,  from  the  appearance  of 
things  at  the  moment,  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia 
seemed  "  after  "  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  We  use  Gen 
eral  Hooker's  own  phrases — they  are  expressive,  if  not  dig 
nified.  They  are  indeed  suited  to  the  subject,  which  con 
tains  no  little  of  the  grotesque.  That  anticipations  and  ex 
pressions  so  confident  should  have  been  met  with  a  "  com 
mentary  of  events  "  so  damaging,  was  sufficient,  had  the 
occasion  not  been  so  tragic,  to  cause  laughter  in  the  gravest 

of  human  beings. 
16 


226  CHAXCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

Lee's  intent  was  now  unmistakable.  Instead  of  falling 
back  from  the  Rappahannock  to  some  line  of  defence  nearer 
Richmond,  where  the  force  under  Longstreet,  at  Suffolk, 
might  have  rejoined  him,  with  other  reinforcements,  he  had 
plainly  resolved,  with  the  forty  or  fifty  thousand  men  of  his 
command,  to  meet  General  Hooker  in  open  battle,  and  leave 
the  event  to  Providence.  A  design  so  bold  would  seem  to 
indicate  in  Lee  a  quality  which  at  that  time  he  was  not 
thought  to  possess — the  willingness  to  risk  decisive  defeat 
by  military  movements  depending  for  their  success  upon 
good  fortune  alone.  Such  seemed  now  the  only  deus  ex 
machina  that  could  extricate  the  Southern  army  from  dis 
aster  ;  and  a  crushing  defeat  at  that  time  would  have  had 
terrible  results.  There  was  no  other  force,  save  the  small 
body  under  Longstreet  and  a  few  local  troops,  to  protect 
Richmond.  Had  Lee  been  disabled  and  afterward  pressed 
by  General  Hooker,  it  is  impossible  to  see  that  any  thing 
but  the  fall  of  the  Confederate  capital  could  have  been  the 
result. 

From  these  speculations  and  comments  we  pass  to  the 
narrative  of  actual  events.  General  Hooker  had  abandoned 
the  strong  position  in  advance  of  Chancellorsville,  and  re 
tired  to  the  fastnesses  around  that  place,  to  receive  the 
Southern  attack.  His  further  proceedings  indicated  that  he 
anticipated  an  assault  from  Lee.  The  Federal  troops  had 
no  sooner  regained  the  thicket  from  which  they  had  ad 
vanced  in  the  morning,  than  they  were  ordered  to  erect  elab 
orate  works  for  the  protection  of  infantry  and  artillery. 
This  was  promptly  begun,  and  by  the  next  morning  heavy 
defences  had  sprung  up  as  if  by  magic.  Trees  had  been 
felled,  and  the  trunks  interwoven  so  as  to  present  a  formi- 


LEE'S  DETERMINATION.  227 

dable  obstacle  to  the  Soutliern  attack.  In  front  of  these 
works  the  forest  had  been  levelled,  and  the  fallen  trunks 
were  left  lying  where  they  fell,  forming  thus  an  abatis  suffi 
cient  to  seriously  delay  an  assaulting  force,  which  would 
thus  be,  at  every  step  of  the  necessarily  slow  advance,  under 
fire.  On  the  roads  piercing  the  thicket  in  the  direction 
of  the  Confederates,  cannon  were  posted,  to  rake  the  ap 
proaches  to  the  Federal  position.  Having  thus  made  his 
preparations  to  receive  Lee's  attack,  General  Hooker  awaited 
that  attack,  no  doubt  confident  of  his  ability  to  repulse  it. 

His  line  resembled  in  some  degree  the  two  sides  of  an 
oblong  square — the  longer  side  extending  east  and  west  in 
front,  that  is  to  say,  south  of  Chancellorsville,  and  the  shorter 
side  north  and  south  nearly,  east  of  the  place.  His  right, 
in  the  direction  of  Wilderness  Tavern,  was  comparatively 
undefended,  as  it  was  not  expected  that  Lee  would  venture 
upon  a  movement  against  that  remote  point.  This  line,  it 
would  appear,  was  formed  with  a  view  to  the  possible  neces 
sity  of  falling  back  toward  the  Rappahannock.  A  com 
mander  determined  to  risk  every  thing  would,  it  seems,  have 
fronted  Lee  boldly,  with  a  line  running  north  and  south, 
east  of  Chancellorsville.  General  Hooker's  main  front  was 
nearly  east  and  west,  whatever  may  have  been  his  object  in 
so  establishing  it. 

On  the  night  of  the  1st  of  May,  as  we  have  said,  Lee 
and  Jackson  held  a  consultation  to  determine  the  best  meth 
od  of  attacking  the  Federal  forces  on  the  next  day.  All 
the  information  which  they  had  been  able  to  obtain  of  the 
Federal  positions  east  and  south  of  Chancellorsville,  indi 
cated  that  the  defences  in  both  these  quarters  were  such  as 
to  render  an  assault  injudicious.  Jackson  had  found  his  ad- 


228  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

vance  obstructed  by  strong  works  near  Alrich's  house,  on 
the  road  running  eastward  from  the  enemy's  camps ;  and 
General  Stuart  and  General  "Wright,  who  had  moved  to  the 
left,  and  advanced  upon  the  enemy's  front  near  the  point 
called  "  The  Furnace,"  had  discovered  the  existence  of  pow 
erful  defences  in  that  quarter  also.  They  had  been  met  by 
a  fierce  and  sudden  artillery-fire  from  Federal  epaulements ; 
and  here,  as  to  the  east  of  Chancellorsville,  the  enemy  had 
evidently  fortified  their  position. 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  necessary  to  discover, 
if  possible,  some  more  favorable  opening  for  an  attack. 
There  remained  but  one  other — General  Hooker's  right, 
west  of  Chancellorsville ;  but  to  divide  the  army,  as  would 
be  necessary  in  order  to  attack  in  that  quarter,  seemed  an 
undertaking  too  hazardous  to  be  thought  of.  To  execute 
such  a  plan  of  assault  with  any  thing  like  a  hope  of  success, 
General  Lee  would  be  compelled  to  detach  considerably 
more  than  half  of  his  entire  force.  This  would  leave  in 
General  Hooker's  front  a  body  of  troops  too  inconsiderable 
to  make  any  resistance  if  he  advanced  his  lines,  and  thus 
the  movement  promised  to  result  in  the  certain  destruction 
of  one  portion  of  the  army,  to  be  followed  by  a  triumphant 
march  of  the  Federal  forces  upon  Richmond.  In  the  coun 
cil  of  war  between  Lee  and  Jackson,  on  the  night  of  the  1st 
of  May,  these  considerations  were  duly  weighed,  and  the 
whole  situation  discussed.  In  the  end,  the  hazardous  move 
ment  against  General  Hooker's  right,  beyond  Chancellors 
ville,  was  determined  upon.  This  was  first  suggested,  it  is 
said,  by  Jackson — others  have  attributed  the  suggestion  to 
Lee.  The  point  is  not  material.  The  plan  was  adopted, 
and  Lee  determined  to  detach  a  column  of  about  twenty- 


JACKSON'S  ATTACK  AND  FALL.          229 

one  thousand  men,  under  Jackson,  to  make  the  attack  on 
the  next  day.  His  plan  was  to  await  the  arrival  of  Jackson 
at  the  point  selected  for  attack,  meanwhile  engaging  the 
enemy's  attention  by  demonstrations  in  their  front.  When 
Jackson's  guns  gave  the  signal  that  he  was  engaged,  the 
force  in  front  of  the  enemy  was  to  advance  and  participate 
in  the  assault ;  and  thus,  struck  in  front  and  flank  at  once, 
General  Hooker,  it  was  hoped,  would  be  defeated  and  driven 
back  across  the  Rappahannock. 

There  was  another  possible  result,  the  defeat  of  Lee  and 
Jackson  by  General  Hooker.  But  the  desperate  character 
of  the  situation  rendered  it  necessary  to  disregard  this  risk. 

By  midnight  this  plan  had  been  determined  upon,  and 
at  dawn  Jackson  began  to  move. 


IT. 

JACKSON'S  ATTACK  AND  FALL1. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  May,  General  Lee  was  early 
in  the  saddle,  and  rode  to  the  front,  where  he  remained  in 
personal  command  of  the  force  facing  the  enemy's  main 
line  of  battle  throughout  the  day. 

This  force  consisted  of  the  divisions  of  Anderson  and 
McLaws,  and  amounted  to  thirteen  thousand  men.  That 
left  at  Fredericksburg,  as  we  have  said,  under  General 
Early,  numbered  six  thousand  men;  and  the  twenty-one 
thousand  which  Jackson  had  taken  with  him,  to  strike  at  the 
enemy's  right,  made  up  the  full  body  of  troops  under  Lee, 
that  is  to  say,  a  little  over  forty  thousand,  artillerymen  in- 


230  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

eluded.  The  cavalry,  numbering  four  or  five  thousand,  were, 
like  the  absent  Federal  cavajry,  not  actually  engaged. 

In  accordance  with  the  plan  agreed  upon  between  Lee 
and  Jackson,  the  force  left  in  the  enemy's  front  proceeded 
to  engage  their  attention,  and  desultory  fighting  continued 
throughout  the  day.  General  Lee  meanwhile  awaited  the 
sound  of  Jackson's  guns  west  of  Chancellorsville,  and  must 
have  experienced  great  anxiety  at  this  trying  moment,  al 
though,  with  his  accustomed  self-control,  he  displayed  little 
or  none.  We  shall  now  leave  this  comparatively  interesting 
portion  of  the  field,  and  invite  the  attention  of  the  reader  to 
the  movements  of  General  Jackson,  who  was  about  to  strike 
his  last  great  blow,  and  lose  his  own  life  in  the  moment  of 
victory. 

Jackson  set  out  at  early  dawn,  having  under  him  three 
divisions,  commanded  by  Rhodes  and  Trimble,  in  all  about 
twenty-one  thousand  men,  and  directed  his  march  over  the 
Old  Mine  road  toward  "  The  Furnace,"  about  a  mile  or  so 
from  and  in  front  of  the  enemy's  main  line.  Stuart  moved 
with  his  cavalry  on  the  flank  of  the  column,  with  the  view 
of  masking  it  from  observation ;  and  it  reached  and  passed 
"  The  Furnace,"  where  a  regiment  with  artillery  was  left  to 
guard  the  road  leading  thence  to  Chancellorsville,  and  repel 
any  attack  which  might  be  made  upon  the  rear  of  the  col 
umn.  Just  as  the  rear-guard  passed  on,  the  anticipated  at 
tack  took  place,  and  the  regiment  thus  left,  the  Twenty-third 
Georgia,  was  suddenly  surrounded  and  the  whole  force  cap 
tured.  The  Confederate  artillery,  however,  opened  promptly 
upon  the  assailing  force,  drove  it  back  toward  Chancellors 
ville,  and  Jackson  proceeded  on  his  march  without  further  in 
terruption.  He  had  thus  been  seen,  but  it  seems  that  the 


JACKSON'S  ATTACK  AND  FALL.  231 

whole  movement  was  regarded  by  General  Hooker  as  a  re 
treat  of  the  Confederates  southward,  a  bend  in  the  road  at 
this  point  toward  the  south  leading  to  that  supposition. 

"  We  know  the  enemy  is  flying,"  General  Hooker  wrote, 
on  the  afternoon  of  this  day,  to  General  Sedgwick,  "  trying 
to  save  his  trains;  two  of  Sickles's  divisions  are  among 
them." 

Soon  after  leaving  "  The  Furnace,"  however,  Jackson, 
following  the  same  wood-road,  turned  westward,  and,  march 
ing  rapidly  between  the  walls  of  thicket,  struck  into  the 
Brock  road,  which  runs  in  a  direction  nearly  northwest  tow 
ard  Germanna  and  Ely's  Fords.  This  would  enable  him  to 
reach,  without  discovery,  the  Orange  Plank-road,  or  Old 
Turnpike,  west  of  Chancellorsville,  as  the  woods  through 
which  the  narrow  highway  ran  completely  barred  him  from 
observation.  Unless  Federal  spies  were  lurking  in  the  cov 
ert,  or  their  scouting-parties  of  cavalry  came  in  sight  of  the 
column,  it  would  move  as  secure  from  discovery  as  though __ 
it  were  a  hundred  miles  distant  from  the  enemy ;  and  against  I 
the  latter  danger  of  cavalry-scouts,  Stuart's  presence  with  I 
his  horsemen  provided.  The  movement  was  thus  made  / 
without  alarming  the  enemy,  and  the  head  of  Jackson's  col 
umn  reached  the  Orange  Plank-road,  near  which  point  Gen 
eral  Fitz  Lee  invited  Jackson  to  ride  up  to  a  slight  elevation, 
from  which  the  defences  of  the  enemy  were  visible.  Jack 
son  did  so,  and  a  glance  showed  him  that  he  was  not  yet  suf 
ficiently  upon  the  enemy's  flank.  He  accordingly  turned  to 
an  aide  and  said,  pointing  to  the  Orange  Plank-road :  "  Tell 
my  column  to  cross  that  road." 

The  column  did  so,  continuing  to  advance  toward  the 
Rapidan  until  it  reached  the  Old  Turnpike  running  from 


232  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

the  "  Old  "Wilderness  Tavern  "  toward  Chancellorsville.  At 
this  point,  Jackson  found  himself  full  on  the  right  flank  of 
General  Hooker,  and,  halting  his  troops,  proceeded  promptly 
to  form  line  of  battle  for  the  attack.  It  was  now  past  four 
in  the  afternoon,  and  the  declining  sun  warned  the  Confed 
erates  to  lose  no  time.  The  character  of  the  ground  was, 
however,  such  as  to  dismay  any  but  the  most  resolute,  and  it 
seemed  impossible  to  execute  the  intended  movement  with 
any  thing  like  rapidity  in  such  a  jungle.  On  both  sides  of 
the  Old  Turnpike  rose  a  wall  of  thicket,  through  which  it 
was  impossible  to  move  a  regular  line  of  battle.  All  the 
rules  of  war  must  be  reversed  in  face  of  this  obstacle,  and 
the  assault  on  General  Hooker's  works  seemed  destined  to 
be  made  in  column  of  infantry  companies,  and  with  the 
artillery  moving  in  column  of  pieces. 

Despite  these  serious  obstacles,  Jackson  hastened  to  form 
such  order  of  battle  as  was  possible,  and  with  Rodes's  divis 
ion  in  front,  followed  by  Colston  (Trimble)  and  Hill,  ad 
vanced  steadily  down  the  Old  Turnpike,  toward  Chancel 
lorsville.  He  had  determined,  not  only  to  strike  the  enemy's 
right  flank,  but  to  execute,  if  possible,  a  still  more  important 
movement.  This  was,  to  extend  his  lines  steadily  to  the  left, 
swing  round  his  left  wing,  and  so  interpose  himself  between 
General  Hooker  and  the  Rapidan.  This  design  of  unsur 
passed  boldness  continued  to  burn  in  Jackson's  brain  until 
he  fell,  and  almost  his  last  words  were  an  allusion  to  it. 

The  Federal  line  of  works,  which  the  Confederates  thus 
advanced  to  assault,  extended  across  the  Old  Turnpike  near 
the  house  of  Melzi  Chancellor,  and  behind  was  a  second 
lino,  which  was  covered  by  the  Federal  artillery  in  the  earth- 
woiks  near  Chancellorsville.  The  Eleventh  Corps,  under 


JACKSOtf'S  ATTACK  AND  FALL.          233 

General  Howard,  was  that  destined  to  receive  Jackson's  as 
sault.  This  was  made  at  a  few  minutes  past  five  in  the  even 
ing,  and  proved  decisive.  The  Federal  troops  were  sur 
prised  at  their  suppers,  and  were  wholly  unprepared.  They 
had  scarcely  time  to  run  to  their  muskets,  which  were 
stacked*  near  at  hand,  when  Eodes  burst  upon  them, 
stormed  their  works,  over  which  the  troops  marched  almost 
imresisted,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  entire  corps  holding 
the  Federal  right  was  in  hopeless  disorder.  Eodes  pressed 
on,  followed  by  the  division  in  his  rear,  and  the  affair  be 
came  rather  a  hunt  than  a  battle.  The  Confederates  pur 
sued  with  yells,  killing  or  capturing  all  with  whom  they 
could  come  up ;  the  Federal  artillery  rushed  off  at  a  gallop, 
striking  against  tree-trunks  and  overturning,  and  the  army 
of  General  Hooker  seemed  about  to  be  hopelessly  routed. 
This  is  the  account  given  by  Northern  writers,  who  repre 
sent  the  effect  of  Jackson's  sudden  attack  as  indescribable. 
It  had  a  serious  effect,  as  will  be  subsequently  shown,  on  the 
morale  both  of  General  Hooker  and  his  army.  While  op 
posing  the  heavy  demonstrations  of  General  Lee's  forces  on 
their  left  and  in  front,  this  storm  had  burst  upon  them  from 
a  quarter  in  which  no  one  expected  it;  they  were  thus 
caught  between  two  fires,  and,  ignorant  as  they  were  of  the 
small  number  of  the  Confederates,  must  have  regarded  the 
army  as  seriously  imperilled. 

Jackson  continued  to  pursue  the  enemy  on  the  road  to 
Chancellorsville,  intent  now  upon  making  his  blow  decisive 
by  swinging  round  his  left  and  cutting  off  the  Federal  army 
from  the  Eappahannock.  It  was  impossible,  however,  to 

*  "  Their  arms  were  stacked,  and  the  men  were  away  from  them  and  scat- 
tered  about  for  the  purpose  of  cooking  their  suppers." — General  Hooker. 


234:  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

execute  so  important  a  movement  until  his  troops  were  well 
in  hand,  and  the  two  divisions  which  had  made  the  attack 
had  become  mixed  up  in  a  very  confused  manner.  They 
were  accordingly  directed  to  halt,  and  General  A.  P.  Hill, 
whose  division  had  not  been  engaged,  was  sent  for  and  or 
dered  to  advance  to  the  front,  thus  affording  the  disordered 
divisions  an  opportunity  to  reform  their  broken  lines. 

Soon  after  dispatching  this  order,  Jackson  rode  out  in 
front  of  his  line,  on  the  Chancellorsville  road,  in  order  to 
reconnoitre  in  person,  and  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  position 
and  movements  of  the  enemy,  then  within  a  few  hundred 
yards  of  him.  It  was  now  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  at 
night.  The  fighting  had  temporarily  ceased,  and  the  moon, 
half-seen  through  misty  clouds,  lit  up  the  dreary  thickets, 
in  which  no  sound  was  heard  but  the  incessant  and  melan 
choly  cries  of  the  whippoorwills.  Jackson  had  ridden  for 
ward  about  a  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  his  line,  on  the 
turnpike,  accompanied  by  a  few  officers,  and  had  checked 
his  horse  to  listen  for  any  sound  coming  from  the  direction 
of  Chancellorsville,  when  suddenly  a  volley  was  fired  by 
his  own  infantry  on  the  right  of  the  road,  apparently  direct 
ed  at  him  and  his  companions,  under  the  impression  that 
they  were  a  Federal  reconnoitring-party.  Several  of  the 
party  fell  from  their  horses,  and,  wheeling  to  the  left,  Jack 
son  galloped  into  the  wood  to  escape  a  renewal  of  the  fire. 
The  result  was  melancholy.  He  passed  directly  in  front  of 
his  men,  who  had  been  warned  to  guard  against  an  attack 
of  cavalry.  In  their  excited  state,  so  near  the  enemy,  and 
surrounded  by  darkness,  Jackson  was  supposed  to  be  a  Fed 
eral  cavalryman.  The  men  accordingly  fired  upon  him,  at 
not  more  than  twenty  paces,  and  wounded  him  in  three 


JACKSON'S  ATTACK  AND  FALL.  235 

places — twice  in  the  left  arm,  and  once  in  the  right  hand. 
At  the  instant  when  he  was  struck  he  was  holding  his  bri 
dle  with  his  left  hand,  and  had  his  right  hand  raised,  either 
to  protect  his  face  from  boughs,  or  in  the  strange  gesture 
habitual  to  him  in  battle.  As  the  bullets  passed  through 
his  arm  he  dropped  the  bridle  of  his  horse  from  his  left 
hand,  but  seized  it  again  with  the  bleeding  fingers  of  his 
right  hand,  when  the  animal,  wheeling  suddenly,  darted 
toward  Chancellorsville.  In  doing  so  he  passed  beneath  the 
limb  of  a  pine-tree,  which  struck  the  wounded  man  in  the 
face,  tore  off  his  cap,  and  threw  him  back  on  his  horse, 
nearly  dismounting  him.  He  succeeded,  however,  in  retain 
ing  his  seat,  and  regained  the  road,  where  he  was  received 
in  the  arms  of  Captain  Wilbourn,  one  of  his  staff-officers, 
and  laid  at  the  foot  of  a  tree. 

The  fire  had  suddenly  ceased,  and  all  was  again  still. 
Only  Captain  Wilbourn  and  a  courier  were  with  Jackson, 
but  a  shadowy  figure  on  horseback  was  seen  in  the  edge  of 
the  wood  near,  silent  and  motionless.  When  Captain  Wil 
bourn  called  to  this  person,  and  directed  him  to  ride  back 
and  see  what  troops  had  thus  fired  upon  them,  the  silent 
figure  disappeared,  and  did  not  return.  Who  this  could 
have  been  was  long  a  mystery,  but  it  appears,  from  a  recent 
statement  of  General  Revere,  of  the  Federal  army,  that  it 
was  himself.  He  had  advanced  to  the  front  to  reconnoitre, 
had  come  on  the  group  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and,  receiving 
the  order  above  mentioned,  had  thought  it  prudent  not  to 
reveal  his  real  character.  He  accordingly  rode  into  the 
wood,  and  regained  his  own  lines. 

A  few  words  will  terminate  our  account  of  this  melan 
choly  event  in  the  history  of  the  war — the  fall  of  Jackson. 


236  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

He  was  supported  to  the  rear  by  his  officers,  and  during 
this  painful  progress  gave  his  last  order.  General  Fender 
recognized  him,  and  stated  that  he  feared  he  could  not  hold 
his  position.  Jackson's  eye  flashed,  and  he  replied  with 
animation,  "  You  must  hold  your  ground,  General  Pender  ! 
You  must  hold  your  ground,  sir !  " 

He  was  now  so  weak  as  to  be  unable  to  walk,  even  lean 
ing  on  the  shoulders  of  his  officers.  He  was  accordingly 
placed  on  a  litter,  and  borne  toward  the  rear.  Before  the 
litter  had  gone  far  a  furious  artillery-fire  swept  the  road 
from  the  direction  of  Chancellors ville,  and  the  bearers  low 
ered  it  to  the  earth  and  lay  down  beside  it.  The  fire  relax 
ing,  they  again  moved,  but  one  of  the  bearers  stumbled  over 
a  root  and  let  the  litter  fall.  Jackson  groaned,  and  as  the 
moonlight  fell  upon  his  face  it  was  seen  to  be  so  pale  that 
he  appeared  to  be  about  to  die.  "When  asked  if  he  was 
much  hurt,  he  opened  his  eyes,  however,  and  said,  "  No,  my 
friend,  don't  trouble  yourself  about  me." 

He  was  then  borne  to  the  rear,  placed  in  an  ambulance, 
and  carried  to  the  hospital  at  the  Old  "Wilderness  Tavern, 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  taken  to  Guinea's  station, 
where  he  died. 

Such  was  the  fate  of  Lee's  great  lieutenant — the  man 
whom  he  spoke  of  as  his  "  right  arm  " — whose  death  struck 
a  chill  to  the  hearts  of  the  Southern  people  from  which  thev 
never  recovered. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE.        237 

y. 

THE    BATTLE    OF    CH ANCELLOES VILLE. 

GENEKAL  LEE  was  not  informed  of  the  misfortune  which 
had  befallen  his  great  lieutenant  until  toward  daybreak  on 
the  next  morning. 

This  fact  was  doubtless  attributable  to  the  difficult  char 
acter  of  the  country  ;  the  interposition  of  the  Federal  army 
between  the  two  Confederate  wings,  which  rendered  a  long 
detour  necessary  in  reaching  Lee ;  and  the  general  confusion 
and  dismay  attending  Jackson's  fall.  It  would  be  difficult, 
indeed,  to  form  an  exaggerated  estimate  of  the  condition  of 
Jackson's  corps  at  this  time.  The  troops  had  been  thrown 
into  what  seemed  inextricable  disorder,  in  consequence  of  the 
darkness  and  the  headlong  advance  of  the  Second  (Cals- 
ton's)  Division  upon  the  heels  of  Rhodes,  which  had  resulted 
in  a  complete  intermingling  of  the  two  commands ;  and,  to 
make  matters  worse,  General  A.  P.  Hill,  the  second  in  com 
mand,  had  been  wounded  and  disabled,  nearly  at  the  same 
moment  with  Jackson,  by  the  artillery-fire  of  the  enemy. 
This  transferred  the  command,  of  military  right,  to  the 
brave  and  skilful  General  Rhodes,  the  ranking  officer  after 
Hill ;  but  Rhodes  was  only  a  brigadier-general,  and  had,  for 
that  reason,  never  come  into  personal  contact  with  the  whole 
corps,  who  knew  little  of  him,  and  was  not  aware  of  Jack- 
Bon's  plans,  and  distrusted,  under  these  circumstances,  his 
ability  to  conduct  to  a  successful  issue  so  vitally  important 
an  operation  as  that  intrusted  to  this  great  wing  of  the 
Southern  army.  Stuart,  who  had  gone  with  his  cavalry 


238  CHANCELLOKSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

toward  Ely's  Ford  to  make  a  demonstration  on  the  Federal 
rear,  was  therefore  sent  for,  and  rode  as  rapidly  as  possible 
to  the  scene  of  action,  and  the  command  was  formally  relin 
quished  to  him  by  General  Rhodes.  Jackson  sent  Stuart 
word  from  "Wilderness  Tavern  to  u  act  upon  his  own  judg 
ment,  and  do  what  he  thought  best,  as  he  had  implicit  con 
fidence  in  him ; "  but,  in  consequence  of  the  darkness  and 
confusion,  it  was  impossible  for  Stuart  to  promptly  reform 
the  lines,  and  thus  all  things  remained  entangled  and  con 
fused. 

It  was  essential,  however,  to  inform  General  Lee  of  the 
state  of  affairs,  and  Jackson's  chief-of-staff,  Colonel  Pendle- 
ton,  requested  Captain  "Wilbourn,  who  had  witnessed  all  the 
details  of  the  painful  scene  in  the  wood,  to  go  to  General 
Lee  and  acquaint  him  with  what  had  taken  place,  and  re 
ceive  his  orders.  From  a  MS.  statement  of  this  meritorious 
officer,  we  take  these  brief  details  of  the  interview  : 

Lee  was  found  lyip<~  asleep  in  a  little  clump  of  pines  near 
his  front,  covered  wi  n  oil-cloth  to  protect  him  from  the 
dews  of  the  night,  ana  surrounded  by  the  officers  of  his  staff, 
also  asleep.  It  was  not  yet  daybreak,  and  the  darkness  pre 
vented  the  messenger  from  distinguishing  the  commander- 
in-chief  from  the  rest.  lie  accordingly  called  for  Major 
Taylor,  Lee's  adjutant-general,  and  that  officer  promptly 
awoke  when  he  was  informed  of  what  had  taken  place.  As 
the  conversation  continued,  the  sound  awoke  General  Lee, 
who  asked,  "Who  is  there?"  Major  Taylor  informed 
him,  and,  rising  upon  his  elbow,  Lee  pointed  to  his  blankets, 
and  said :  "  Sit  down  here  by  me,  captain,  and  tell  me  all 
about  the  fight  last  evening." 

He  listened  without  comment  during  the  recital,  but, 


THE  BATTLE   v9F  CHANCELLORSVILLE.  239 

when  it  was  finished,  said  with  great  feeling :  "  Ah !  captain, 
any  victory  is  dearly  bought  which  deprives  us  of  the  ser 
vices  of  General  Jackson,  even  for  a  short  time." 

From  this  reply  it  was  evident  that  he  did  not  regard  the 
wounds  received  by  Jackson  as  of  a  serious  character — as 
was  natural,  from  the  fact  that  they  were  only  flesh-wounds 
in  the  arm  and  hand — and  believed  that  the  only  result 
would  be  a  temporary  absence  of  his  lieutenant  from  com 
mand.  As  Captain  Wilbourn  continued  to  speak  of  the  in 
cident,  Lee  added  with  greater  emotion  than  at  first :  "  Ah ! 
don't  talk  about  it ;  thank  God  it  is  no  worse !  " 

He  then  remained  silent,  but  seeing  Captain  Wilbourn 
rise,  as  if  to  go,  he  requested  him  to  remain,  as  he  wished  to 
"  talk  with  him  some  more,"  and  proceeded  to  ask  a  number 
of  questions  in  reference  to  the  position  of  the  troops,  who 
was  in  command,  etc.  "When  informed  that  Rhodes  was  in 
temporary  command,  but  that  Stuart  had  been  sent  for,  he 
exclaimed :  "  Rhodes  is  a  gallant,  c°"^ageous,  and  energetic 
officer ; "  and  asked  where  Jackso  i-.  -id  Stuart  could  be 
found,  calling  for  paper  and  pencil  to  write  to  them.  Cap 
tain  "Wilbourn  added  that,  from  what  he  had  heard  Jackson 
say,  he  thought  he  intended  to  get  possession,  if  possible,  of 
the  road  to  United  States  Ford  in  the  Federal  rear,  and  so 
cut  them  off  from  the  river  that  night,  or  early  in  the  morn 
ing.  At  these  words,  Lee  rose  quickly  and  said  with  ani 
mation,  "  These  people  must  be  pressed  to-day." 

It  would  seem  that  at  this  moment  a  messenger — proba 
bly  Captain  Hotchkiss,  Jackson's  skilful  engineer — arrived 
from  Wilderness  Tavern,  bringing  a  note  from  the  wounded 
general.  Lee  read  it  with  much  feeling,  and  dictated  the 
following  reply : 


240  CHANCELLORSTILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

GENERAL  :  I  have  just  received  your  note  informing  me  that  you 
were  wounded.  I  cannot  express  my  regret  at  the  occurrence.  Could  I 
have  directed  events,  I  should  have  chosen,  for  the  good  of  the  coun 
try,  to  have  been  disabled  in  your  stead. 

I  congratulate  you  upon  the  victory,  which  is  due  to  your  skill  and 
energy.  K.  E.  LEE,  General. 

This  was  dispatched  with  a  second  note  to  Stuart,  direct 
ing  him  to  assume  command,  and  press  the  enemy  at  dawn. 
Lee  then  mounted  his  horse,  and,  just  as  the  day  began  to 
break,  formed  line  of  battle  opposite  the  enemy's  front,  his 
line  extending  on  the  right  to  the  plank-road  running  from 
Chancellorsville  in  the  direction  of  Fredericksburg.  This 
force,  under  the  personal  command  of  Lee,  amounted,  as  we 
have  said,  originally  to  about  thirteen  thousand  men ;  and, 
as  their  loss  had  not  been  very  severe  in  the  demonstrations 
made  against  the  enemy  on  the  preceding  days,  they  were  in 
good  condition.  The  obvious  course  now  was  to  place  the 
troops  in  a  position  which  would  enable  them,  in  the  event 
of  Stuart's  success  in  driving  the  Federal  right,  to  unite  the 
left  of  Lee's  line  with  the  right  of  Stuart,  and  so  press  the 
Federal  army  back  on  Chancellorsville  and  the  river.  "We 
shall  now  return  to  the  left  wing  of  the  army,  which,  in  spite 
of  the  absence  of  the  commanding  general,  was  the  column 
of  attack,  which  was  looked  to  for  the  most  important  re 
sults. 

In  response  to  the  summons  of  the  preceding  night, 
Stuart  had  come  back  from  the  direction  of  Ely's  Ford,  at  a 
swift  gallop,  burning  with  ardor  at  the  thought  of  leading 
Jackson's  great  corps  into  battle.  The  military  ambition 
of  this  distinguished  commander  of  Lee's  horse  was  great, 
and  he  had  often  chafed  at  the  jests  directed  at  the  cavalry 


THE  BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLORSYILLE.  241 

arm,  and  at  himself  as  u  only  a  cavalry-officer."  He  had 
now  presented  to  him  an  opportunity  of  showing  that  he 
was  a  trained  soldier,  competent  by  his  nerve  and  military 
ability  to  lead  any  arm  of  the  service,  and  greeted  the  oc 
casion  with  delight.  The  men  of  Jackson  had  been  accus 
tomed  to  see  that  commander  pass  slowly  along  their  lines 
on  a  horse  as  sedate-looking  as  himself,  a  slow-moving  figure, 
with  little  of  the  "  poetry  of  war  "  in  his  appearance.  They 
now  found  themselves  commanded  by  a  youthful  and  daring 
cavalier  on  a  spirited  animal,  with  floating  plume,  silken  sash, 
and  a  sabre  which  gleamed  in  the  moonlight,  as  its  owner 
galloped  to  and  fro  cheering  the  men  and  marshalling  them 
for  the  coming  assault,)As  he  led  the  lines  afterward  with 
joyous  vivacity,  his  sabre  drawn,  his  plume  floating  proudly, 
one  of  the  men  compared  him  to  Henry  of  Navarre  at  the 
battle  of  Ivry.  But  Stuart's  spirit  of  wild  gayety  destroyed 
the  romantic  dignity  of  the  scene.  He  led  the  men  of  Jack 
son  against  General  Hooker's  breastworks  bristling  with 
cannon,  singing  "  Old  Joe  Hooker,  will  you  come  out  of  the 
Wilderness  1 " 

This  sketch  will  convey  a  correct  idea  of  the  officer  who 
had  now  grasped  the  baton  falling  from  the  hand  of  the 
great  marshal  of  Lee.  It  was  probable  that  the  advance  of 
the  infantry  under  such  a  commander  would  partake  of  the 
rush  and  rapidity  of  a  cavalry-charge  ;  and  the  sequel  justi 
fied  this  view. 

At  early  dawn  the  Southern  lines  began  to  move.  Either 
in  consequence  of  orders  from  Lee,  or  following  his  own 
conception,  Stuart  reversed  the  movement  of  Jackson,  who 
had  aimed  to  swing  round  his  left  and  cut  off  the  enemy. 
He  seemed  to  have  determined  to  extend  his  right,  with  the 
17 


242  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

view  of  uniting  with  the  left  of  Anderson's  division  under 
Lee,  and  enclosing  the  enemy  in  the  angle  near  Chancellors- 
ville.  Lee  had  moved  at  the  same  moment  on  their  front, 
advancing  steadily  over  all  obstacles,  and  a  Northern  writer, 
who  witnessed  the  combined  attack,  speaks  of  it  in  enthusi 
astic  terms :  "  From  the  large  brick  house  which  gives  the 
name  to  this  vicinity,"  says  the  writer,  speaking  of  Chancel- 
lorsville,  "  the  enemy  could  be  seen,  sweeping  slowly  but 
confidently,  determinedly  and  surely,  through  the  clearings 
which  extended  in  front.  Nothing  could  excite  more  ad 
miration  for  the  qualities  of  the  veteran  soldiers  than  the 
manner  in  which  the  enemy  swept  out,  as  they  moved  stead 
ily  onward,  the  forces  which  were  opposed  to  them.  We 
say  it  reluctantly,  and  for  the  first  time,  that  the  enemy 
have  shown  the  finest  qualities,  and  we  acknowledge  on 
this  occasion  their  superiority  in  the  open  field  to  our  own 
men.  They  delivered  their  fire  with  precision,  and  were 
apparently  inflexible  and  immovable  under  the  storm  of 
bullets  and  shell  which  they  were  constantly  receiving. 
Coming  to  a  piece  of  timber,  which  was  occupied  by  a  di 
vision  of  our  own  men,  half  the  number  were  detailed  to 
clear  the  woods.  It  seemed  certain  that  here  they  would 
be  repulsed,  but  they  marched  right  through  the  wood, 
driving  our  own  soldiers  out,  who  delivered  their  fire  and 
fell  back,  halted  again,  fired,  and  fell  back  as  before,  seem 
ing  to  concede  to  the  enemy,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  su 
periority  which  they  evidently  felt  themselves.  Our  own 
men  fought  well.  There  was  no  lack  of  courage,  but  an 
evident  feeling  that  they  were  destined  to  be  beaten,  and 
the  only  thing  for  them  to  do  was  to  fire  and  retreat." 

This  description  of  the  steady  advance  of  the  Southern 


THE  BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE.        243 

line  applies  rather  to  the  first  portion  of  the  attack,  which 
compelled  the  front  line  of  the  Federal  army  to  retire  to  the 
stronger  ground  in  rear.  When  this  was  reached,  and  the 
troops  of  Lee  saw  before  them  the  last  citadel,  the  steady 
advance  became  a  rush.  The  divisions  of  Anderson  and 
McLaws,  on  the  right,  made  a  determined  charge  upon  the 
great  force  under  Generals  Hancock,  Slocum,  and  others,  in 
that  quarter,  and  Stuart  closed  in  on  the  Federal  right, 
steadily  extending  his  line  to  join  on  to  Anderson. 

The  spectacle  here  was  superb.  As  the  troops  rushed  on, 
Stuart  shouted,  "  Charge !  and  remember  Jackson  !  "  and 
this  watchword  seemed  to  drive  the  line  forward.  With 
Stuart  leading  them,  and  singing,  in  his  joyous  voice,  "  Old 
Joe  Hooker,  will  you  come  out  of  the  Wilderness !  " — for 
courage,  poetry,  and  seeming  frivolity,  were  strangely  min 
gled  in  this  great  soldier — the  troops  went  headlong  at  the 
Federal  works,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  real  struggle  of 
the  battle  of  Chancellors ville  had  begun. 

From  this  instant,  when  the  lines,  respectively  command 
ed  in  person  by  Lee  and  by  Stuart,  closed  in  with  the  ene 
my,  there  was  little  manoeuvring  of  any  description.  It  was 
an  open  attempt  of  Lee,  by  hard  fighting,  to  crush  in  the 
enemy's  front,  and  force  them  back  upon  the  river.  In  this 
arduous  struggle  it  is  due  to  Stuart  to  say  that  his  general 
ship  largely  decided  the  event,  and  the  high  commendation 
which  he  afterward  received  from  General  Lee  justifies  the 
statement.  As  his  lines  went  to  the  attack,  his  quick  mili 
tary  eye  discerned  an  elevated  point  on  his  right,  from  which 
it  appeared  an  artillery-fire  woulden  filade  the  Federal  line. 
About  thirty  pieces  of  cannon  were  at  once  hastened  to  this 
point,  and  a  destructive  fire  opened  on  the  lines  of  General 


244  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

Slocum,  which  threw  his  troops  into  great  confusion.  So 
serious  was  this  fire  that  General  Slocum  sent  word  to  Gen 
eral  Hooker  that  his  front  was  being  swept  a  way  by  it,  to 
which  the  sullen  response  was,  "  I  cannot  make  soldiers  or 
ammunition !  " 

General  Hooker  was  indeed,  it  seems,  at  this  moment  in 
no  mood  to  take  a  hopeful  view  of  affairs.  The  heavy  as 
sault  of  Jackson  appears  to  have  as  much  demoralized  the 
Federal  commander  as  his  troops.  During  the  night  he  had 
erected  a  semicircular  line  of  works,  in  the  form  of  a  redan, 
in  his  rear  toward  the  river,  behind  which  new  works  he  no 
doubt  contemplated  falling  back.  He  now  awaited  the  re 
sult  of  the  Southern  attack,  leaning  against  a  pillar  of  the 
porch  at  the  Chancellorsville  House,  when  a  cannon-ball 
struck  the  pillar,  throwing  it  down,  and  so  stunning  the  gen 
eral  as  to  prevent  him  from  retaining  the  command,  which 
was  delegated  to  General  Couch. 

The  fate  of  the  day  had  now  been  decided.  The  right 
wing  of  the  Southern  army,  under  Lee,  had  gradually  ex 
tended  its  left  to  meet  the  extension  of  Stuart's  right ;  and 
this  junction  of  the  two  wings  having  been  effected,  Lee  took 
personal  command  of  all,  and  advanced  his  whole  front  in 
a  decisive  assault.  Before  this  the  Federal  front  gave  way, 
and  the  disordered  troops  were  huddled  back — now  only 
a  confused  and  disorganized  mass — upon  Chancellorsville. 
The  Southern  troops  pursued  with  yells,  leaping  over  the 
earthworks,  and  driving  all  before  them.  A  scene  of  singu 
lar  horror  ensued.  The  Chancellorsville  House,  which  had 
been  set  on  fire  by  shell,  was  seen  to  spout  flame  from  every 
window,  and  the  adjoining  woods  had,  in  like  manner, 
caught  fire,  and  were  heard  roaring  over  the  dead  and 


THE  BATTLE   OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE.  24:5 

wounded  of  both  sides  alike.  The  thicket  had  become  the 
scene  of  the  cruellest  of  all  agonies  for  the  unfortunates  un 
able  to  extricate  themselves.  The  whole  spectacle  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Chancellorsville  House,  now  in  Lee's  posses 
sion,  was  frightful.  Fire,  smoke,  blood,  confused  yells,  and 
dying  groans,  mingled  to  form  the  dark  picture. 

Lee  had  ridden  to  the  front  of  his  line,  following  up  the 
enemy,  and  as  he  passed  before  the  troops  they  greeted  him 
with  one  prolonged,  unbroken  cheer,  in  which  those  wound 
ed  and  lying  upon  the  ground  united.  In  that  cheer  spoke 
the  fierce  joy  of  men  whom  the  hard  combat  had  turned 
into  blood-hounds,  arousing  all  the  ferocious  instincts  of  the 
human  soul.  Lee  sat  on  his  horse,  motionless,  near  the 
Chancellorsville  House,  his  face  and  figure  lit  up  by  the 
glare  of  the  burning  woods,  and  gave  his  first  attention,  even 
at  this  exciting  moment,  to  the  unfortunates  of  both  sides, 
wounded,  and  in  danger  of  being  burned  to  death.  While 
issuing  his  orders  on  this  subject,  a  note  was  brought  to  him 
from  Jackson,  congratulating  him  upon  his  victory.  After 
reading  it,  with  evidences  of  much  emotion,  he  turned  to  the 
officer  who  had  brought  it  and  said :  "  Say  to  General  Jack 
son  that  the  victory  is  his,  and  that  the  congratulation  is  due 
to  him." 

The  Federal  army  had  fallen  back  in  disorder,  by  this 
time,  toward  their  second  line.  It  was  about  ten  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  Chancellorsville  was  in  Lee's  possession. 


24:6  CKANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

YI. 

FLANK  MOVEMENT  OF  GENERAL  SEDGWICK. 

LEE  hastened  to  bring  the  Southern  troops  into  order 
again,  and  succeeded  in  promptly  reforming  his  line  of  bat 
tle,  his  front  extending,  unbroken,  along  the  Old  Turnpike, 
facing  the  river. 

His  design  was  to  press  General  Hooker,  and  reap  those 
rich  rewards  of  victory  to  which  the  hard  fighting  of  the 
men  had  entitled  them.  Of  the  demoralized  condition  of 
the  Federal  forces  there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  the  obvious 
course  now  was  to  follow  up  their  retreat  and  endeavor  to 
drive  them  in  disorder  beyond  the  Rappahannock. 

The  order  to  advance  upon  the  enemy  was  about  to  be 
given,  when  a  messenger  from  Fredericksburg  arrived  at 
full  gallop,  and  communicated  intelligence  which  arrested 
the  order  just  as  it  was  on  Lee's  lips. 

A  considerable  force  of  the  enemy  was  advancing  up  the 
turnpike  from  Fredericksburg,  to  fall  upon  his  right  flank, 
and  upon  his  rear  in  case  he  moved  beyond  Chancellorsville. 
The  column  was  that  of  General  Sedgwick.  This  officer,  it 
will  be  remembered,  had  been  detached  to  make  a  heavy 
demonstration  at  Fredericksburg,  and  was  still  at  that  point, 
with  his  troops  drawn  up  on  the  southern  bank,  three  miles 
below  the  city,  on  Saturday  night,  while  Jackson  was  fighting. 
On  that  morning  General  Hooker  had  sent  for  Reynolds's 
corps,  but,  even  in  the  absence  of  this  force,  General  Sedgwick 
retained  under  him  about  twenty-two  thousand  men ;  and 
this  column  was  now  ordered  to  storm  the  heights  at  Fred 
ericksburg,  march  up  the  turnpike,  and  attack  Lee  in  flank. 


FLANK  MOVEMENT   OF  GENERAL  SEDGWICK.  247 

General  Sedgwick  received  the  order  at  eleven  o'clock 
on  Saturday  night,  about  the  time  when  Jackson  was  car 
ried  wounded  to  the  rear.  He  immediately  made  his  prep 
arations  to  obey,  and  at  daylight  moved  up  from  below 
the  city  to  storm  the  ridge  at  Marye's,  and  inarch  straight 
upon  Chancellorsville.  In  the  first  assaults  he  failed,  suf 
fering  considerable  loss  from  the  fire  of  the  Southern  troops 
under  General  Barksdale,  commanding  the  line  at  that 
point ;  but,  subsequently  forming  an  assaulting  column  for 
a  straight  rush  at  the  hill,  he  went  forward  with  impetu 
osity  ;  drove  the  Southern  advanced  line  from  behind  the 
"stone  wall,"  which  Generals  Sumner  and  Hooker  had 
failed  in  reaching,  and,  about  eleven  in  the  morning, 
stormed  Marye's  Hill,  and  killed,  captured,  or  dispersed,  the 
entire  Southern  force  there.  The  Confederates  fought  hand 
to  hand  over  their  guns  with  the  enemy  for  the  possession  of 
the  crest,  but  their  numbers  were  inadequate ;  the  entire  sur 
viving  force  fell  back  over  the  Telegraph  road  southward, 
and  General  Sedgwick  promptly  advanced  up  the  turnpike 
leading  from  Fredericksburg  to  Chancellorsville,  to  assail 
General  Lee. 

It  was  the  intelligence  of  this  threatening  movement 
which  now  reached  Lee,  and  induced  him  to  defer  further 
attack  at  the  moment  upon  General  Hooker.  He  deter 
mined  promptly  to  send  a  force  against  General  Sedgwick, 
and  this  resolution  seems  to  have  been  based  upon  sound 
military  judgment.  There  was  little  to  be  feared  now  from 
General  Hooker,  large  as  the  force  still  was  under  that  offi 
cer.  He  was  paralyzed  for  the  time,  and  would  not  prob 
ably  venture  upon  any  attempt  to  regain  possession  of  Chan 
cellorsville.  With  General  Sedgwick  it  was  different.  His 


24:8  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

column  was  comparatively  fresh,  was  flushed  with  victory, 
and  numbered,  even  after  his  loss  of  one  thousand,  more 
than  twenty  thousand  men.  Compared  with  the  entire  Fed 
eral  army,  this  force  was  merely  a  detachment,  it  was  true, 
but  it  was  a  detachment  numbering  as  many  men,  probably, 
as  the  effective  of  Lee's  entire  army  at  Chancellorsville.  He 
had  carried  into  that  fight  about  thirty-four  thousand  men. 
His  losses  had  been  heavy,  and  the  commands  were  much 
shaken.  To  have  advanced  under  these  circumstances  upon 
General  Hooker,  without  regard  to  General  Sedgwick's 
twenty  thousand  troops,  inspired  by  recent  victory,  would 
have  resulted  probably  in  disaster. 

These  comments  may  detract  from  that  praise  of  au 
dacity  accorded  to  Lee  in  making  this  movement.  It  seems 
rather  to  have  been  the  dictate  of  common-sense ;  to  have 
advanced  upon  General  Hooker  would  have  been  the  au 
dacity. 

It  was  thus  necessary  to  defer  the  final  blow  at  the  main 
Federal  army  in  his  front,  and  General  Lee  promptly  de 
tached  a  force  of  about  five  brigades  to  meet  General  Sedg- 
wick,  which,  with  Early's  command,  now  in  rear  of  the  Fed 
eral  column,  would,  it  was  supposed,  suffice. 

This  body  moved  speedily  down  the  turnpike  to  check 
the  enemy,  and  encountered  the  head  of  his  column  about 
half-way,  near  Salem  Church.  General  Wilcox,  who  had 
been  sent  by  Lee  to  watch  Banks's  Ford,  had  already  moved 
to  bar  the  Federal  advance.  When  the  brigades  sent  by 
Lee  joined  him,  the  whole  force  formed  line  of  battle :  a 
brisk  action  ensued,  continuing  from  about  four  in  the  after 
noon  until  nightfall,  when  the  fighting  ceased,  and  General 
Sedgwick  made  no  further  attempt  to  advance  on  that  day. 


FLANK  MOVEMENT   OF  GENERAL  SEDGWICK.  249 

These  events  took  place,  as  we  have  said,  on  Sunday 
afternoon,  the  day  of  the  Federal  defeat  at  Chancellorsville. 
On  Monday  morning  (May  4th),  the  theatre  of  action  on 
the  southern  bank  of  the  Eappahannock  presented  a  very 
remarkable  complication.  General  Early  had  been  driven 
from  the  ridge  at  Fredericksburg ;  but  no  sooner  had  General 
Sedgwick  marched  toward  Chancellorsville,  than  Early  re 
turned  and  seized  upon  Marye's  Heights  again.  He  was 
thus  in  General  Sedgwick's  rear,  and  ready  to  prevent 
him  from  recrossing  the  Eappahannock  at  Fredericksburg. 
Sedgwick  meanwhile  was  moving  to  assail  Lee's  flank  and 
rear,  and  Lee  was  ready  to  attack  General  Hooker  in  front. 
Such  was  the  singular  entanglement  of  the  Northern  and 
Southern  forces  on  Monday  morning  after  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville.  What  the  result  was  to  be  the  hours  of 
that  day  were  now  to  decide. 

Lee  resolved  first,  if  possible,  to  crush  General  Sedg 
wick,  when  it  was  his  design  to  return  and  make  a  decisive 
assault  upon  General  Hooker.  In  accordance  with  this 
plan,  he  on  Monday  morning  went  in  personal  command  of 
three  brigades  of  Anderson's  division,  reached  the  vicinity 
of  Salem  Church,  and  proceeded  to  form  line  of  battle  with 
the  whole  force  there.  Owing  to  unforeseen  delays,  the 
attack  was  not  begun  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the 
whole  line  advanced  upon  General  Sedgwick,  Lee's  aim 
being  to  cut  him  off  from  the  river.  In  this  he  failed,  the 
stubborn  resistance  of  the  Federal  forces  enabling  them 
to  hold  their  ground  until  night.  At  that  time,  however, 
they  seemed  to  waver  and  lose  heart,  whether  from  receiv 
ing  intelligence  of  General  Hooker's  mishap,  or  from  other 
causes,  is  not  known.  They  were  now  pressed  by  the  South- 


250  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

ern  troops,  and  finally  gave  way.  General  Sedgwick  re 
treated  rapidly  but  in  good  order  to  Banks's  Ford,  where  a 
pontoon  had  been  fortunately  laid,  and  this  enabled  him  to 
cross  his  men.  The  passage  was  effected  under  cover  of 
darkness,  the  Southern  cannon  firing  upon  the  retreating 
column ;  and,  with  this,  ended  the  movement  of  General 
Sedgwick. 

On  Tuesday  morning  Lee  returned  with  his  men  toward 
Chancellorsville,  and  during  the  whole  day  was  busily  en 
gaged  in  preparation  for  a  decisive  attack  upon  General 
Hooker  on  the  next  morning. 

When,  however,  the  Southern  sharp-shooters  felt  their 
way,  at  daylight,  toward  the  Federal  position,  it  was  found 
that  the  works  were  entirely  deserted. 

General  Hooker  had  recrossed  the  river,  spreading  pine 
boughs  on  the  pontoon  bridge  to  muffle  the  sound  of  his 
artillery-wheels. 

So  the  great  advance  ended. 


YII. 


LEE'S     GENEEALSHIP    AND     PERSONAL     DEMEANOR 
DURING    THE    CAMPAIGN. 

THE  movements  of  the  two  armies  in  the  Chancellors 
ville  campaign,  as  it  is  generally  styled,  have  been  so  fully 
described  in  the  foregoing  pages,  that  little  comment  upon 
them  is  here  necessary.  The  main  feature  which  attracts 
attention,  in  surveying  the  whole  series  of  operations,  is  the 
boldness,  amounting  to  apparent  recklessness,  of  Lee ;  and, 


LEE'S  GENERALSHIP,  ETC.  251 

first,  the  excellent  generalship,  and  then  the  extraordinary 
tissue  of  military  errors,  of  General  Hooker. 

Up  to  the  1st  of  May,  when  he  emerged  from  the  Chan- 
cellorsville  thicket,  every  thing  had  succeeded  with  the  Fed 
eral  commander,  and  deserved  to  succeed.  He  had  success 
fully  brought  over  his  great  force,  which  he  himself  de 
scribed  as  the  "finest  army  on  the  planet,"  and  occupied 
strong  ground  east  of  Chancellorsville,  on  the  road  to  Fred- 
ericksburg.  General  Sedgwick  was  absent  at  the  latter 
place  with  a  strong  detachment  of  the  army,  but  the  main 
body  covered  Banks's  Ford,  but  twelve  miles  from  the  city, 
and  by  the  afternoon  of  this  day  the  whole  army  might  have 
been  concentrated.  Then  the  fate  of  Lee  would  seem  to 
have  been  decided.  He  had  not  only  a  very  small  army, 
but  that  army  was  scattered,  and  liable  to  be  cut  off  in  de 
tail.  General  Sedgwick  menaced  his  right  at  Fredericks- 
burg — General  Hooker  was  in  front  of  his  left  near  Chan 
cellorsville — and  to  crush  one  of  these  wings  before  the  other 
could  come  to  its  assistance  seemed  a  work  of  no  very  great 
difficulty.  General  Hooker  appears,  however,  to  have  dis 
trusted  his  ability  to  effect  this  result,  and,  finding  that 
General  Lee  was  advancing  with  his  main  body  to  attack 
him,  retired,  from  his  strong  position  in  the  open  country, 
to  the  dense  thicket  around  Chancellorsville.  That  this 
was  a  grave  military  error  there  can  be  no  doubt,  as,  by 
this  retrograde  movement,  General  Hooker  not  only  dis 
couraged  his  troops,  who  had  been  elated  by  his  confident 
and  inspiring  general  orders,  but  lost  the  great  advantage 
of  the  open  country,  where  his  large  force  could  be  success 
fully  manoeuvred. 

Lee  took  instant  advantage  of  this  fault  in  his  adversary, 


252  CHANCELLORSYILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

and  boldly  pressed  the  force  retiring  into  the  Wilderness, 
where,  on  the  night  of  the  1st  of  May,  General  Hooker  was 
shut  up  with  his  army.  This  unforeseen  result  presented 
the  adversaries  now  in  an  entirely  new  light.  The  Federal 
army,  which  had  been  promised  by  its  commander  a  speedy 
march  upon  Eichmond  in  pursuit  of  Lee,  had,  instead  of 
advancing,  made  a  backward  movement ;  and  Lee,  who  it 
had  been  supposed  would  retreat,  was  now  following  and 
offering  them  battle. 

The  daring  resolution  of  Lee,  to  divide  his  army  and 
attack  the  Federal  right,  followed.  It  would  seem  unjust  to 
General  Hooker  greatly  to  blame  him  for  the  success  of  that 
blow,  which  could  not  have  been  reasonably  anticipated. 
In  determining  upon  this,  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
movements  of  the  war,  General  Lee  proceeded  in  defiance 
of  military  rules,  and  was  only  justified  in  his  course  by 
the  desperate  character  of  the  situation  of  affairs.  It  was 
impossible  to  make  any  impression  upon  General  Hooker's 
front  or  left,  owing  to  the  elaborate  defences  in  both  quar 
ters  ;  it  was,  therefore,  necessary  either  to  retire,  or  attack 
in  a  different  direction.  As  a  retreat,  however,  upon  Rich 
mond  would  have  surrendered  to  the  enemy  a  large  and 
fertile  tract  of  country,  it  was  desirable,  if  possible,  to 
avoid  that  alternative ;  and  the  attack  on  the  Federal  right 
followed.  The  results  of  this  were  truly  extraordinary. 
The  force  routed  and  driven  back  in  disorder  by  General 
Jackson  was  but  a  single  corps,  and  that  corps,  it  is  said, 
not  a  legitimate  part  of  the  old  Army  of  the  Potomac ; 
but  the  disorder  seems  to  have  communicated  itself  to  the 
whole  army,  and  to  have  especially  discouraged  General 
Hooker.  In  describing  the  scene  in  question,  we  refrained 


LEE'S  GENERALSHIP,  ETC.  253 

from  dwelling  upon  the  full  extent  of  the  confusion  into 
which  the  Federal  forces  were  thrown :  some  sentences,  taken 
from  Northern  accounts,  may  lead  to  a  better  understanding 
of  the  result.  After  Jackson's  assault,  a  Northern  historian 
says:  "The  open  plain  around  Chancellorsville  presented 
such  a  spectacle  as  a  simoom  sweeping  over  the  desert 
might  make.  Through  the  dusk  of  nightfall  a  rushing 
whirlwind  of  men  and  artillery  and  wagons  swept  down 
the  road,  past  headquarters,  and  on  toward  the  fords  of  the 
Rappahannock ;  and  it  was  in  vain  that  the  staff  opposed 
their  persons  and  drawn  sabres  to  the  panic-stricken 
fugitives."  Another  writer,  an  eye-witness,  says  the  spec 
tacle  presented  was  that  of  "  solid  columns  of  infantry 
retreating  at  double-quick ;  a  dense  mass  of  beings  flying ; 
hundreds  of  cavalry-horses,  left  riderless  at  the  first  dis 
charge  from  the  rebels,  dashing  frantically  about  in  all 
directions;  scores  of  batteries  flying  from  the  field;  bat 
tery-wagons,  ambulances,  horses,  men,  cannon,  caissons,  all 
jumbled  and  tumbled  together  in  one  inextricable  mass — 
the  stampede  universal,  the  disgrace  general." 

After  all,  however,  it  was  but  one  corps  of  the  Federal 
army  which  had  been  thus  thrown  into  disorder,  and  Gen 
eral  Hooker  had  no  valid  grounds  for  distrusting  his  ability 
to  defeat  Lee  in  a  more  decisive  action.  There  are  many 
reasons  for  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  he  did  from  that 
moment  distrust  his  powers.  He  had  courageously  hastened 
to  the  assailed  point,  ordering  the  men  to  "  throw  them 
selves  into  the  breach,"  and  receive  Jackson's  troops  "  on 
the  bayonet ; "  but,  after  this  display  of  soldierly  resolution, 
General  Hooker  appears  to  have  lost  some  of  that  nerve 
which  should  never  desert  a  soldier,  and  on  the  same  night 


254:  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

sent  engineers  to  trace  out  a  new  line  of  defences  in  hia 
rear,  to  which,  it  seems,  he  already  contemplated  the  prob 
ability  of  being  forced  to  retire.  Why  he  came  to  take  this 
depressed  view  of  the  situation  of  affairs,  it  is  difficult  to 
say.  One  of  General  Sedgwick's  corps  reached  him  on  this 
night,  and  his  force  at  Chancellorsville  still  amounted  to 
between  ninety  and  one  hundred  thousand  men,  about 
thrice  that  of  Lee.  ~No  decisive  trial  of  strength  had  yet 
taken  place  between  the  two  armies;  and  yet  the  larger 
force  was  constructing  defences  in  rear  to  protect  them  from 
the  smaller  —  a  circumstance  not  tending,  it  would  seem, 
to  greatly  encourage  the  troops  whose  commander  was  thus 
providing  for  a  safe  retreat. 

The  subsequent  order  to  General  Sedgwick  to  march  up 
from  Fredericksburg  and  assail  Lee's  right  was  judicious, 
and  really  saved  the  army  from  a  great  disaster.  Lee  was 
about  to  follow  up  the  discouraged  forces  of  General 
Hooker  as  they  fell  back  toward  the  river;  and,  as  the 
Southern  army  was  flushed  with  victory,  the  surrender  of 
the  great  body  might  have  ensued.  This  possible  result 
was  prevented  by  the  flank  movement  of  General  Sedg 
wick,  and  some  gratitude  for  assistance  so  important  from 
his  able  lieutenant  would  have  seemed  natural  and  graceful 
in  General  Hooker.  This  view  of  the  subject  does  not  seem, 
however,  to  have  been  taken  by  the  Federal  commander. 
He  subsequently  charged  the  defeat  of  Chancellorsville  upon 
General  Sedgwick,  who  he  declared  had  "  failed  in  a  prompt 
compliance  with  his  orders."  *  The  facts  do  not  bear  out 

*  General  Hooker  in  Report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War, 
Part  I.,  page  130.  This  great  collection  is  a  valuable  repository  of  historic 
details,  and  contains  the  explanation  of  many  interesting  questions. 


LEE'S  GENERALSHIP,  ETC.  255 

this  charge,  as  the  reader  has  seen.  General  Sedgwick 
received  the  order  toward  midnight  on  Saturday,  and,  at 
eleven  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  had  passed  over  that 
stubborn  "  stone  wall "  which,  in  the  battle  of  the  preceding 
December,  General  Hooker's  column  had  not  even  been  able 
to  reach ;  had  stormed  Marye's  Hill,  which  General  Hooker 
had  described,  in  vindication  of  his  own  failure  to  carry  the 
position,  as  "  masonry,"  "  a  fortification,"  and  "  a  mountain 
of  rock ; "  and  had  marched  thereafter  so  promptly  as  to 
force  Lee,  in  his  own  defence,  to  arrest  the  second  advance 
upon  the  Federal  main  body,  and  divert  a  considerable  force 
to  meet  the  attack  on  his  flank. 

After  the  repulse  of  General  Sedgwick,  and  his  retreat 
across  the  Rappahannock,  General  Hooker  seems  to  have 
been  completely  discouraged,  and  hastened  to  put  the  river 
between  himself  and  Lee.  His  losses  in  the  battles  of  Satur 
day  and  Sunday  had  amounted  to  seventeen  thousand  one 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  killed  and  wounded  and  missing, 
fourteen  pieces  of  artillery,  and  twenty  thousand  stand  of 
a,rrns.  The  Confederate  loss  was  ten  thousand  two  hundred 
and  eighty-one.  Contrary  to  the  ordinary  course  of  things 
the  assailing  force  had  lost  a  less  number  of  men  than  that 
assailed. 

The  foregoing  reflections,  which  necessarily  involve  a 
criticism  of  General  Hooker,  arise  naturally  from  a  review 
of  the  events  of  the  campaign,  and  seem  justified  by  the  cir 
cumstances.  There  can  be  no  inducement  for  the  present 
writer  to  underrate  the  military  ability  of  the  Federal  com 
mander,  as  that  want  of  ability  rather  detracts  from  than 
adds  to  the  merit  of  General  Lee  in  defeating  him.  It  may 
be  said,  indeed,  that  without  these  errors  and  shortcomings 


256  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

of  General  Hooker,  Lee,  humanly  speaking,  must  have  been 
either  defeated  or  forced  to  retire  upon  Eichmond. 

'After  giving  full  weight,  however,  to  all  the  advantages 
derived  from  the  extraordinary  Federal  oversights  and  mis 
takes,  General  Lee's  merit  in  this  campaign  was  greater,  per 
haps,  than  in  any  other  during  his  entire  career.  Had  he 
left  behind  him  no  other  record  than  this,  it  alone  would 
have  been  sufficient  to  have  conferred  upon  him  the  first 
glories  of  arms,  and  handed  his  name  down  to  posterity  as 
that  of  one  of  the  greatest  soldiers  of  history.  It  is  difficult 
to  discover  a  single  error  committed  by  him,  in  the  whole 
series  of  movements,  from  the  moment  when  General  Sedg- 
wick  crossed  at  Fredericksburg,  to  the  time  of  General  Hook 
er's  retreat  beyond  the  Happahannock.  It  may  appear  that 
there  was  unnecessary  delay  in  permitting  Tuesday  to  pass 
without  a  final  advance  upon  General  Hooker,  in  his  second 
line  of  intrenchments ;  but,  no  doubt,  many  circumstances 
induced  Lee  to  defer  this  attack — the  fatigue  of  his  troop?, 
consequent  upon  the  fighting  of  the  four  preceding  days, 
Friday,  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  Monday;  the  necessity  of 
reforming  his  battalions  for  the  final  blow ;  and  the  anti 
cipation  that  General  Hooker,  who  still  had  at  his  com 
mand  a  force  of  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  men, 
would  not  so  promptly  relinquish  his  campaign,  and  re 
tire. 

"With  the  exception  of  this  error,  if  it  be  such,  Lee  had 
made  no  single  false  step  in  the  whole  of  his  movements. 
The  campaign  was  round,  perfect,  and  complete — such  as 
a  student  of  the  art  of  war  might  pore  over,  and  analyze  as 
an  instance  of  the  greatest  principles  of  military  science 
"clothed  in  act."  The  most  striking  features  of  Lee's 


LEE'S  GENERALSHIP,  ETC.  257 

movements  were  their  rapidity  and  audacity.  It  had  been 
the  fashion  with  some  persons  to  speak  of  Lee  as  slow  and 
cautious  in  his  operations,  and  this  criticism  had  not  been 
completely  silenced  even  in  the  winter  of  1862,  when  his 
failure  to  crush  General  Burnside  afforded  his  detractors 
another  opportunity  of  repeating  the  old  charge.  After  the 
Chancellors ville  campaign  these  fault-finders  were  silenced — 
no  one  could  be  found  to  listen  to  them.  The  whole  South 
ern  movement  completely  contradicted  their  theory.  At 
the  first  intelligence  of  the  advance  of  General  Hooker's 
main  body  across  the  upper  Rappahannock,  Lee  rode  rap 
idly  in  that  direction,  and  ordered  his  troops  at  the  fords  of 
the  river  to  fall  back  to  Chancellorsville.  He  then  returned, 
and,  finding  that  General  Sedgwick  had  crossed  at  Fred- 
ericksburg,  held  a  prompt  consultation  with  Jackson,  when 
it  was  decided  at  once  to  concentrate  the  main  body  of  the 
army  in  front  of  General  Hooker's  column.  At  the  word, 
Jackson  moved ;  Lee  followed.  On  the  1st  of  May,  the 
enemy  were  pressed  back  upon  Chancellorsville  ;  on  the  2d, 
his  right  was  crushed,  and  his  army  thrown  into  confusion  ; 
on  the  3d,  he  was  driven  from  Chancellorsville,  and,  but  for 
the  flank  movement  of  General  Sedgwick,  which  Lee  was 
not  in  sufficient  force  to  prevent,  General  Hooker  would, 
upon  that  same  day,  Sunday,  have  in  all  probability  suffered 
a  decisive  defeat. 

In  the  course  of  four  days  Lee  had  thus  advanced,  and 
checked,  and  then  attacked  and  repulsed  with  heavy 
slaughter,  an  army  thrice  as  large  as  his  own.  On  the  last 
day  of  April  he  had  been  nearly  enveloped  by  a  host  of 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  men.  On  the  3d 

day  of  May  their  main  body  was  in  disorderly  retreat ;  and 
18 


258  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

at  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  -6th  there  was  not  a 
Federal  soldier,  with  the  exception  of  the  prisoners  taken, 
on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Rappahannock. 

During  all  these  critical  scenes,  when  the  fate  of  the 
Confederate  capital,  and  possibly  of  the  Southern  cause, 
hung  suspended  in  the  balance,  General  Lee  preserved,  as 
thousands  of  persons  can  testify,  the  most  admirable  serenity 
and  composure,  without  that  jubilant  confidence  displayed 
by  General  Hooker  in  his  address  to  the  troops,  and  the 
exclamations  to  his  officers.  Lee  was  equally  free  from 
gloom  or  any  species  of  depression.  His  spirits  seemed  to 
rise  under  the  pressure  upon  him,  and  at  times  he  was 
almost  gay.  When  one  of  General  Jackson's  aides  hastened 
into  his  tent  near  Fredericksburg,  and  with  great  animation 
informed  him  that  the  enemy  were  crossing  the  river,  in 
heavy  force  in  his  front,  he  seemed  to  be  amused  by  that 
circumstance,  and  said,  smiling :  "  Well,  I  heard  firing,  and  I 
was  beginning  to  think  it  was  time  some  of  you  lazy  young 
fellows  were  coming  to  tell  me  what  it  was  all  about.  Say 
to  General  Jackson  that  he  knows  just  as  well  what  to  do 
with  the  enemy  as  I  do." 

The  commander-in-chief  who  could  find  time  at  such  a 
moment  to  indulge  in  badinage,  must  have  possessed  excel 
lent  nerve;  and  this  composure,  mingled  with  a  certain 
buoyant  hopefulness,  as  of  one  sure  of  the  event,  remained 
with  Lee  throughout  the  whole  great  wrestle  with  General 
Hooker.  He  retained  to  the  end  his  simple  and  quiet  man 
ner,  divested  of  every  thing  like  excitement.  In  the  con 
sultation  with  Jackson,  on  the  night  of  the  1st  of  May, 
when  the  crisis  was  so  critical,  his  demeanor  indicated  no 
anxiety ;  and  when,  as  we  have  said,  the  news  came  of  Jack- 


LEE'S  GENERALSHIP,  ETC. 

son's  wound,  he  said  simply,  "  Sit  down  here,  by  me,  cap 
tain,  and  tell  me  all  about  the  fight  last  evening  " — adding, 
"  Ah !  captain,  any  victory  is  dearly  bought  which  deprives 
us  of  the  services  of  General  Jackson  even  for  a  short  time. 
Don't  talk  about  it — thank  God,  it  is  no  worse ! "  The  turns 
of  expression  here  are  those  of  a  person  who  permits  noth 
ing  to  disturb  his  serenity,  and  indulges  his  gentler  and 
tenderer  feelings  even  in  the  hot  atmosphere  of  a  great  con 
flict.  The  picture  presented  is  surely  an  interesting  and 
beautiful  one.  The  human  being  who  uttered  the  good- 

o  o 

natured  criticism  at  the  expense  of  the  "  lazy  young  fel 
lows,"  and  who  greeted  the  news  of  Jackson's  misfortune 
with  a  sigh  as  tender  as  that  of  a  woman,  was  the  soldier 
who  had  "  seized  the  masses  of  his  force  with  the  grasp  of  a 
Titan,  and  swung  them  into  position  as  a  giant  might  fling 
a  mighty  stone."  To  General  Hooker's  threat  to  crush  him, 
he  had  responded  by  crushing  General  Hooker  ;  nearly  sur 
rounded  by  the  huge  cordon  of  the  Federal  army,  he  had 
cut  the  cordon  and  emerged  in  safety.  General  Hooker 
with  his  one  hundred  thousand  men  had  retreated  to  the 
north  bank  of  the  Rappahannock,  and,  on  the  south  bank, 
Lee  with  his  thirty  thousand  remained  erect,  threatening, 
and  triumphant. 

"We  have  not  presented  in  these  pages  the  orders  of  Lee, 
on  various  occasions,  as  these  papers  are  for  the  most  part  of 
an  "  official  "  character,  and  not  of  great  interest  to  the  gen 
eral  reader.  "We  shall,  however,  occasionally  present  these 
documents,  and  here  lay  before  the  reader  the  orders  of  both 
General  Hooker  and  General  Lee,  after  the  battle  of  Chan- 
cellorsville,  giving  precedence  to  the  former.  The  order  of 
the  Federal  commander  was  as  follows : 


260  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

HEADQTTAKTERS  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC,  ) 
May  6, 1863.  ) 

The  major-general  commanding  tenders  to  this  army  his  congratu 
lations  on  its  achievements  of  the  last  seven  days.  If  it  has  not  ac 
complished  all  that  was  expected,  the  reasons  are  well  known  to  the 
army.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  they  were  of  a  character  not  to  be  fore 
seen  or  prevented  by  human  sagacity  or  resources. 

In  withdrawing  from  the  south  bank  of  the  Kappahanock,  before 
delivering  a  general  battle  to  our  adversaries,  the  army  has  given  re 
newed  evidence  in  its  confidence  in  itself,  and  its  fidelity  to  the  prin 
ciples  it  represents. 

By  fighting  at  a  disadvantage,  we  would  have  been  recreant  to  our 
trust,  to  ourselves,  to  our  cause,  and  to  our  country.  Profoundly 
loyal,  and  conscious  of  its  strength,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  will  give 
or  decline  battle  whenever  its  interests  or  honor  may  command  it. 

By  the  celerity  and  secrecy  of  our  movements,  our  advance  and 
passage  of  the  river  were  undisputed,  and  on  our  withdrawal  not  a 
rebel  dared  to  follow  us.  The  events  of  the  last  week  may  well  cause 
the  heart  of  every  officer  and  soldier  of  the  army  to  swell  with  pride. 

We  have  added  new  laurels  to  our  former  renown.  We  have  made 
long  marches,  crossed  rivers,  surprised  the  enemy  in  his  intrenchments, 
and,  whenever  we  have  fought,  we  have  inflicted  heavier  blows  than 
those  we  have  received. 

We  have  taken  from  the  enemy  five  thousand  prisoners,  and  fifteen 
colors,  captured  seven  pieces  of  artillery,  and  placed  hors  de  combat 
eighteen  thousand  of  our  foe's  chosen  troops. 

We  have  destroyed  his  depots  filled  with  vast  amounts  of  stores, 
damaged  his  communications,  captured  prisoners  within  the  f<3rtifica- 
tions  of  his  capital,  and  filled  his  country  with  fear  and  consternation. 

We  have  no  other  regret  than  that  caused  by  the  loss  of  our  brave 
companions,  and  in  this  we  are  consoled  by  the  conviction  that  they 
have  fallen  in  the  holiest  cause  ever  submitted  to  the  arbitration  of 
battle. 

By  command  of  Major-General  HOOKEB  : 

S.  WILLIAMS, 
Assistant  Adjutant- General 


LEE'S  GENERALSHIP,  ETC.  261 

General  Lee's  order  was  as  follows  : 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 
May  7, 1863.  \ 

With  heart-felt  gratification,  the  general  commanding  expresses  to 
the  army  his  sense  of  the  heroic  conduct  displayed  by  officers  and 
men  during  the  arduous  operations  in  which  they  have  just  been  en- 


Under  trying  vicissitudes  of  heat  and  storm  you  attacked  the 
enemy,  strongly  intrenched  in  the  depths  of  a  tangled  wilderness,  and 
again  on  the  hills  of  Fredericksburg,  fifteen  miles  distant,  and  by  the 
valor  that  has  triumphed  on  so  many  fields  forced  him  once  more  to 
seek  safety  beyond  the  Rappahannock.  While  this  glorious  victory 
entitles  you  to  the  praise  and  gratitude  of  the  nation,  we  are  especially 
called  upon  to  return  our  grateful  thanks  to  the  only  Giver  of  victory, 
for  the  signal  deliverances  He  has  wrought. 

It  is  therefore  earnestly  recommended  that  the  troops  unite  on 
Sunday  next  in  ascribing  unto  the  Lord  of  hosts  the  glory  due  unto 
His  name. 

Let  us  not  forget,  in  our  rejoicing,  the  brave  soldiers  who  have 
fallen  in  defence  of  their  country ;  and,  while  we  mourn  their  loss,  let 
ns  resolve  to  emulate  their  noble  example. 

The  army  and  the  country  alike  lament  the  absence  for  a  time  of 
one  to  whose  bravery,  energy,  and  skill,  they  are  so  much  indebted 
for  success. 

The  following  letter  from  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States 
is  communicated  to  the  army,  as  an  expression  of  his  appreciation  of 
their  success : 

"I  have  received  your  dispatch,  and  reverently  unite  with  you  in 
giving  praise  to  God  for  the  success  with  which  He  has  crowned  our 
arms.  In  the  name  of  the  people  I  offer  my  cordial  thanks,  and  the 
troops  under  your  command,  for  this  addition  to  the  unprecedented 
series  of  great  victories  which  our  army  has  achieved.  The  universal 
rejoicing  produced  by  this  happy  result  will  be  mingled  with  a  gen 
eral  regret  for  the  good  and  the  brave  who  are  numbered  among  the 
killed  and  the  wounded." 

B.  E.  LEE,  General. 


262  CEANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

YIII. 
PERSONAL    RELATIONS    OF    LEE    AND    JACKSON. 

THE  most  important  incident  of  the  great  battle  of  Chan- 
cellorsville  was  the  fall  of  Jackson.  The  services  of  this 
illustrious  soldier  had  now  become  almost  indispensable  to 
General  Lee,  who  spoke  of  him  as  his  "  right  arm ; "  and  the 
commander-in-chief  had  so  long  been  accustomed  to  lean 
upon  the  strong  shoulder  of  his  lieutenant,  that  now,  when 
this  support  was  withdrawn,  he  seems  to  have  felt  the  loss 
of  it  profoundly. 

In  the  war,  indeed,  there  had  arisen  no  soldier  who  so 
powerfully  drew  the  public  eye  as  Jackson.  In  the  opinion 
of  many  persons,  he  was  a  greater  and  abler  commander 
than  Lee  himself;  and,  although  such  an  opinion  will  not  be 
found  to  stand  after  a  full  review  of  the  characters  and 
careers  of  the  two  leaders,  there  was  sufficient  ground  for  it 
to  induce  many  fair  and  intelligent  persons  to  adopt  it. 
Jackson  had  been  almost  uniformly  successful.  He  had 
conducted  to  a  triumphant  issue  the  arduous  campaign  of 
the  Valley,  where  he  was  opposed  in  nearly  every  battle  by 
a  force  much  larger  than  his  own ;  and  these  victories,  in  a 
quarter  so  important,  and  at  a  moment  so  critical,  had  come, 
borne  on  the  wind  of  the  mountain,  to  electrify  and  inspire 
the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Richmond  and  the  entire  Con 
federacy.  Jackson's  rapid  march  and  assault  on  General 
McClellan's  right  on  the  Chickahominy  had  followed ;  he 
then  advanced  northward,  defeated  the  vanguard  of  the 
enemy  at  Cedar  Mountain,  led  the  great  column  of  Lee 
against  the  rear  of  General  Pope,  destroyed  Manassas,  held 


PERSONAL  RELATIONS  OF  LEE  AND  JACKSON.  263 

his  ground  until  Lee  arrived,  and  bore  an  important  part  in 
the  battle  which  ensued.  Thence  he  had  passed  to  Mary 
land,  fallen  upon  Harper's  Ferry  and  captured  it,  returned 
to  fight  with  Lee  at  Sharpsburg,  and  in  that  battle  had  borne 
the  brunt  of  the  enemy's  main  assault  with  an  unbroken 
front.  That  the  result  was  a  drawn  battle,  and  not  a 
Southern  defeat,  was  due  to  Lee's  generalship  and  Jackson's 
fighting.  The  retrograde  movement  to  the  lowland  fol 
lowed,  and  Jackson  was  left  in  the  Yalley  to  embarrass 
McClellan's  advance.  In  this  he  perfectly  succeeded,  and 
then  suddenly  reappeared  at  Fredericksburg,  where  he  re 
ceived  and  repulsed  one  of  the  two  great  assaults  of  the 
enemy.  The  battle  of  Chancellorsville  followed,  and  Lee's 
statement  of  the  part  borne  in  this  hard  combat  by  Jackson 
has  been  given.  The  result  was  due,  he  said,  not  to  his  own 
generalship,  but  to  the  skill  and  energy  of  his  lieutenant, 
whose  congratulations  he  refused  to  receive,  declaring  that 
the  victory  was  Jackson's. 

Here  had  at  last  ended  the  long  series  of  nearly  un 
broken  victories.  Jackson  had  become  the  alter  ego  of  Lee, 
and  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  the  sense  of  loss  felt  by 
the  commander-in-chief.  In  addition  to  this  natural  senti 
ment,  was  deep  regret  at  the  death  of  one  personally  dear 
to  him,  and  to  whom  he  was  himself  an  object  of  almost 
reverent  love.  The  personal  relations  of  Lee  and  Jackson 
had,  from  first  to  last,  remained  the  same — not  the  slightest 
cloud  had  ever  arisen  to  disturb  the  perfect  union  in  each 
of  admiration  and  affection  for  the  other.  It  had  never 
occurred  to  these  two  great  soldiers  to  ask  what  their  rela 
tive  position  was  in  the  public  eye — which  was  most  spoken 
of  and  commended  or  admired.  Human  nature  is  weak  at 


264:  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

best,  and  the  fame  of  Jackson,  mounting  to  its  dazzling 
zenith,  might  have  disturbed  a  less  magnanimous  soul  than 
Lee's.  There  is  not,  however,  the  slightest  reason  to  believe 
that  Lee  ever  gave  the  subject  a  thought.  Entirely  free  from 
that  vulgar  species  of  ambition  which  looks  with  cold  eyes 
upon  the  success  of  others,  as  offensive  to  its  own  amour- 
propre,  Lee  never  seems  to  have  instituted  any  compari 
son  between  himself  and  Jackson — greeted  praise  of  his 
famous  lieutenant  with  sincere  pleasure — and  was  the  first 
upon  every  occasion,  not  only  to  express  the  fullest  sense  of 
Jackson's  assistance,  and  the  warmest  admiration  of  his 
genius  as  a  soldier,  but  to  attribute  to  him,  as  after  the 
battle  of  Chancellor sville,  all  the  merit  of  every  description. 
It  is  not  possible  to  contemplate  this  august  affection  and 
admiration  of  the  two  soldiers  for  each  other,  without  re 
garding  it  as  a  greater  glory  to  them  than  all  their  successes 
in  arms.  Lee's  opinion  of  Jackson,  and  personal  sentiment 
toward  him,  have  been  set  forth  in  the  above  sentences. 
The  sentiment  of  Jackson  for  Lee  was  as  strong  or  stronger. 
He  regarded  him  with  mingled  love  and  admiration.  To 
excite  such  feelings  in  a  man  like  Jackson,  it  was  necessary 
that  Lee  should  be  not  only  a  soldier  of  the  first  order  of 
genius,  but  also  a  good  and  pious  man.  It  was  in  these 
lights  that  Jackson  regarded  his  commander,  and  from  first 
to  last  his  confidence  in  and  admiration  for  him  never  wa 
vered.  He  had  defended  Lee  from  the  criticism  of  unskilled 
or  ignorant  persons,  from  the  time  when  he  assumed  com 
mand  of  the  army,  in  the  summer  of  1862.  At  that  time 
some  one  spoke  of  Lee,  in  Jackson's  presence,  as  "  slow.v 
The  criticism  aroused  the  indignation  of  the  silent  soldier, 
and  he  exclaimed:  "General  Lee  is  not  'slow.'  "No  one 


PERSONAL  RELATIONS  OF  LEE  AND  JAUKSON.     265 

knows  the  weight  upon  his  heart — his  great  responsibilities. 
He  is  commander-in-chief,  and  he  knows  that,  if  an  army  is 
lost,  it  cannot  be  replaced.  No !  there  may  be  some  persons 
whose  good  opinion  of  me  may  make  them  attach  some 
weight  to  my  views,  and,  if  you  ever  hear  that  said  of  Gen 
eral  Lee,  I  beg  you  will  contradict  it  in  my  name.  I  have 
known  General  Lee  for  five-and-twenty  years.  He  is  cau 
tious.  He  ought  to  be.  But  he  is  not '  slow.'  Lee  is  a  phe 
nomenon.  He  is  the  only  man  whom  I  would  follow  blind 
fold!" 

The  abrupt  and  energetic  expressions  of  Jackson  on  this 
occasion  indicate  his  profound  sense  of  the  injustice  done 
Lee  by  these  criticisms ;  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine 
a  stronger  statement  than  that  here  made  by  him.  It  will 
be  conceded  that  he  himself  was  competent  to  estimate  sol 
diership,  and  in  Jackson's  eyes  Lee  was  "  a  phenomenon — 
the  only  man  whom  he  would  follow  blindfold."  The  sub 
sequent  career  of  Lee  seems  to  have  strengthened  and  inten 
sified  this  extreme  admiration.  What  Lee  advised  or  did 
was  always  in  Jackson's  eyes  the  very  best  that  could  be 
suggested  or  performed.  He  yielded  his  own  opinions,  upon 
every  occasion,  with  perfect  readiness  and  cheerfulness  to 
those  of  Lee,  as  to  the  master-mind;  loved  him,  revered 
him,  looked  up  to  him,  and  never  seems  to  have  found  fault 
with  him  but  upon  one  occasion — when  he  received  Lee's 
note  of  congratulation  after  Chancellorsville.  He  then  said : 
"  General  Lee  is  very  kind  ;  but  he  should  give  the  glory 
to  God." 

This  affection  and  admiration  were  fully  returned  bj 
General  Lee,  who  consulted  Jackson  upon  every  occasion, 
and  confided  in  him  as  his  personal  friend.  There  was  sel- 


266  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

dom  any  question  between  them  of  superior  and  subordinate 
— never,  except  when  the  exigency  required  that  the  decision 
should  be  made  by  Lee  as  commander-in-chief.  Jackson's 
supreme  genius,  indeed,  made  this  course  natural,  and  no 
further  praise  is  due  Lee  in  this  particular,  save  that  of  mod 
esty  and  good  sense ;  but  these  qualities  are  commendable 
and  not  universal.  He  committed  the  greatest  undertakings 
to  Jackson  with  the  utmost  confidence,  certain  that  he  would 
do  all  that  could  be  done ;  and  some  words  of  his  quoted 
above  express  this  entire  confidence.  "  Say  to  General 
Jackson,"  he  replied  to  the  young  staff-officer  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  "  that  he  knows  just  as  well  what  to  do  with  the  ene 
my  as  I  do." 

Lee's  personal  affection  was  strikingly  displayed  after 
the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  when  Jackson  lay  painfully, 
but  no  one  supposed  mortally,  wounded,  first  at  "Wilderness 
Tavern,  and  then  at  Ginney's.  Prevented  from  visiting  the 
wounded  man,  by  the  responsibilities  of  command,  now  all 
the  greater  from  Jackson's  absence,  and  not  regarding  his 
hurt  as  serious,  as  indeed  it  did  not  appear  to  be  until  tow 
ard  the  last,  Lee  sent  him  continual  messages  containing 
good  wishes  and  inquiries  after  his  health.  The  tone  of 
these  messages  is  very  familiar  and  affectionate,  and  leaves 
no  doubt  of  the  character  of  the  relations  between  the  two 
men. 

"  Give  him  my  affectionate  regards,"  he  said  to  one  offi 
cer,  "  and  tell  him  to  make  haste  and  get  well,  and  come 
back  to  me  as  soon  as  he  can.  He  has  lost  his  left  arm,  but 
I  have  lost  my  right." 

When  the  wound  of  the  great  soldier  took  a  bad  turn, 
and  Jt  began  to  be  whispered  about  that  the  hurt  might 


PERSONAL  RELATIONS  OF  LEE  AND  JACKSON.  267 

prove  fatal,  Lee  was  strongly  moved,  and  said  with  deep 
feeling :  "  Surely  General  Jackson  must  recover !  God  will 
not  take  him  from  us,  now  that  we  need  him  so  much. 
Surely  he  will  be  spared  to  us,  in  answer  to  the  many 
prayers  which  are  offered  for  him !  " 

He  paused  after  uttering  these  words,  laboring  evidently 
under  very  deep  and  painful  emotion.  After  remaining  si 
lent  for  some  moments,  he  added  :  "  When  you  return  I  trust 
you  will  find  him  better.  "When  a  suitable  occasion  offers, 
give  him  my  love,  and  tell  him  that  I  wrestled  in  prayer  for 
him  last  night,  as  I  never  prayed,  I  believe,  for  myself." 

The  tone  of  these  messages  is,  as  we  have  said,  that  of 
familiar  affection,  as  from  one  valued  friend  to  another. 
The  expression,  "Give  him  my  love,"  is  a  Yirginianism, 
which  is  used  only  when  two  persons  are  closely  and  firmly 
bound  by  long  association  and  friendship.  Such  had  been 
the  case  with  Lee  and  Jackson,  and  in  the  annals  of  the  war 
there  is  no  other  instance  of  a  friendship  so  close,  affection 
ate,  and  unalloyed. 

Jackson  died  on  the  10th  of  May,  and  the  unexpected 
intelligence  shocked  Lee  profoundly.  He  mourned  the 
death  of  the  illustrious  soldier  with  a  sorrow  too  deep  almost 
to  find  relief  in  tears ;  and  issued  a  general  order  to  the 
troops,  which  was  in  the  following  words  : 

With  deep  grief  the  commanding  general  announces  to  the  army 
the  death  of  Lieutenant-General  T.  J.  Jackson,  who  expired  on  the 
10th  inst.,  at  quarter-past  three  p.  M.  The  daring,  skill,  and  energy 
of  this  great  and  good  soldier,  by  the  decree  of  an  All-wise  Provi 
dence,  are  now  lost  to  us.  But,  while  we  mourn  his  death,  we  feel 
that  his  spirit  still  lives,  and  will  inspire  the  whole  army  with  his  in 
domitable  courage  and  unshaken  confidence  in  God,  as  our  hope  and 


268  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

strength.  Let  his  name  be  a  watchword  to  his  corps,  who  have  fol 
lowed  him  to  victory  on  so  many  fields.  Let  his  officers  and  soldiers 
emulate  his  invincible  determination  to  do  every  thing  in  defence  of 
our  beloved  country.  E.  E.  LEE,  General. 

It  is  probable  that  the  composition  of  this  order  cost 
General  Lee  one  of  the  severest  pangs  he  ever  experienced. 


IX. 

CIRCUMSTANCES    LEADING    TO    THE    INVASION    OF 
PENNSYLVANIA. 

THE  defeat  of  General  Hooker  at  Chancellorsville  was 
the  turning-point  of  the  war,  and  for  the  first  time  there  was 
apparently  a  possibility  of  inducing  the  Federal  Govern 
ment  to  relinquish  its  opposition  to  the  establishment  of  a 
separate  authority  in  the  South.  The  idea  of  the  formation 
of  a  Southern  Confederacy,  distinct  from  the  old  Union, 
had,  up  to  this  time,  been  repudiated  by  the  authorities  at 
"Washington  as  a  thing  utterly  out  of  the  question ;  but  the 
defeat  of  the  Federal  arms  in  the  two  great  battles  of  the 
Rappahannock  had  caused  the  most  determined  opponents 
of  separation  to  doubt  whether  the  South  could  be  coerced 
to  return  to  the  Union ;  and,  what  was  equally  or  more  im 
portant,  the  proclamations  of  President  Lincoln,  declaring 
the  slaves  of  the  South  free,  and  placing  the  United  States 
virtually  under  martial  law,  aroused  a  violent  clamor  from 
the  great  Democratic  party  of  the  North,  who  loudly  as 
serted  that  all  constitutional  liberty  was  disappearing. 

This  combination  of  non-success  in  military  affairs  and 
usurpation  by  the  Government  emboldened  the  advocates 


WHAT  LED  TO  THE  INVASION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.      269 

of  peace  to  speak  out  plainly,  and  utter  their  protest 
against  the  continuance  of  the  struggle,  which  they  de 
clared  had  only  resulted  in  the  prostration  of  all  the  liber 
ties  of  the  country.  Journals  and  periodicals,  violently 
denunciatory  of  the  course  pursued  by  the  Government, 
all  at  once  made  their  appearance  in  New  York  and  else 
where.  A  peace  convention  was  called  to  meet  in  Phila 
delphia.  Mr.  Yallandigham,  nominee  of  the  Democratic 
party  for  Governor  of  Ohio,  eloquently  denounced  the 
whole  policy  of  endeavoring  to  subjugate  the  sovereign 
States  of  the  South ;  and  Judge  Curtis,  of  Boston,  formerly 
Associate  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
published  a  pamphlet  in  which  the  Federal  President  was 
stigmatized  as  a  usurper  and  tyrant.  "  I  do  not  see,"  wrote 
Judge  Curtis,  "  that  it  depends  upon  the  Executive  decree 
whether  a  servile  war  shall  be  invoked  to  help  twenty  mill 
ions  of  the  white  race  to  assert  the  rightful  authority  of  the 
Constitution  and  laws  of  their  country  over  those  who  re 
fuse  to  obey  them.  But  I  do  see  that  this  proclamation " 
(emancipating  the  Southern  slaves)  "  asserts  the  power  of  the 
Executive  to  make  such  a  decree  1  I  do  not  perceive  how 
it  is  that  my  neighbors  and  myself,  residing  remote  from 
armies  and  their  operations,  and  where  all  the  laws  of  the 
land  may  be  enforced  by  constitutional  means,  should  be 
subjected  to  the  possibility  of  arrest  and  imprisonment  and 
trial  before  a  military  commission,  and  punishment  at  its 
discretion,  for  offences  unknown  to  the  law — a  possibility  to 
be  converted  into  a  fact  at  the  mere  will  of  the  President, 
or  of  some  subordinate  officer,  clothed  by  him  with  this 
power.  But  I  do  perceive  that  this  Executive  power  is  as 
serted.  ...  It  must  be  obvious  to  the  meanest  capacity  that, 


270  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

* 

if  the  President  of  the  United  States  has  an  implied  con 
stitutional  right,  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  and 
Navy,  in  time  of  war,  to  disregard  any  one  positive  prohi 
bition  of  the  Constitution,  or  to  exercise  any  one  power  not 
delegated  to  the  United  States  by  the  Constitution,  because 
in  his  judgment  he  may  thereby  c  best  subdue  the  enemy,' 
he  has  the  same  right,  for  the  same  reason,  to  disregard 
each  and  every  provision  of  the  Constitution,  and  to  exer 
cise  all  power  needful  in  his  opinion  to  enable  him  '  best  to 
subdue  the  enemy.' .  .  .  The  time  has  certainly  come  when 
the  people  of  the  United  States  must  understand  and  must 
apply  those  great  rules  of  civil  liberty  which  have  been  ar 
rived  at  by  the  self-devoted  efforts  of  thought  and  action 
of  their  ancestors  during  seven  hundred  years  of  struggle 
against  arbitrary  power." 

So  far  had  reached  the  thunder  of  Lee's  guns  at  Chan- 
cellorsville.  Their  roar  seemed  to  have  awakened  through 
out  the  entire  North  the  great  party  hitherto  lulled  to  slum 
ber  by  the  plea  of  "military  necessity,"  or  paralyzed  by  the 
very  extent  of  the  Executive  usurpation  which  they  saw,  but 
had  not  had  heart  to  oppose.  On  all  sides  the  advocates  of 
peace  on  the  basis  of  separation  were  heard  raising  their 
importunate  voices;  and  in  the  North  the  hearts  of  the 
people  began  to  thrill  with  the  anticipation  of  a  speedy 
termination  of  the  bloody  and  exhausting  struggle.  The 
occasion  was  embraced  by  Mr.  Stephens,  Yice-President  of 
the  Confederate  States,  to  propose  negotiations.  This  able 
gentleman  wrote  from  Georgia  on  the  12th  of  June  to  Pres 
ident  Davis,  offering  to  go  to  "Washington  and  sound  the 
authorities  there  on  the  subject  of  peace.  He  believed  that 
the  moment  was  propitious,  and  wished  to  act  before  fur 


WHAT  LED  TO  THE  INVASION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.      271 

tlier  military  movements  were  undertaken — especially  be 
fore  any  further  projects  of  invasion  by  Lee — which  would 
tend,  he  thought,  to  silence  the  peace  party  at  the  North, 
and  again  arouse  the  war  spirit.  The  letter  of  Mr.  Stephens 
was  written  on  the  12th  of  June,  and  President  Davis  re 
sponded  by  telegraph  a  few  days  afterward,  requesting  Mr. 
Stephens  to  come  to  Eichmond.  He  reached  that  city  on 
the  22d  or  23d  of  June,  but  by  that  time  Lee's  vanguard 
was  entering  Maryland,  and  Gettysburg  speedily  followed, 
which  terminated  all  hopes  of  peace. 

The  plan  of  moving  the  Southern  army  northward, 
with  the  view  of  invading  the  Federal  territory,  seems  to 
have  been  the  result  of  many  circumstances.  The  country 
was  elated  with  the  two  great  victories  of  Fredericksburg 
and  Chancellors ville,  and  the  people  were  clamorous  for 
active  operations  against  an  enemy  who  seemed  powerless 
to  stand  the  pressure  of  Southern  steel.  The  army,  which 
had  been  largely  augmented  by  the  return  of  absentees  to 
its  ranks,  new  levies,  and  the  recall  of  Longstreet's  two 
divisions  from  Suffolk,  shared  the  general  enthusiasm  ;  and 
thus  a  very  heavy  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
authorities  and  on  General  Lee,  in  favor  of  a  forward  move 
ment,  which,  it  was  supposed,  would  terminate  in  a  signal 
victory  and  a  treaty  of  peace. 

Lee  yielded  to  this  view  of  things  rather  than  urged  it. 
He  was  not  opposed  to  an  offensive  policy,  and  seems,  in 
deed,  to  have  shared  the  opinion  of  Jackson  that  "  the 
Scipio  Africanus  policy  "  was  the  best  for  the  South.  His 
theory  from  the  beginning  of  the  war  had  been,  that  the 
true  policy  of  the  South  was  to  keep  the  enemy  as  far 
as  possible  from  the  interior,  fighting  on  the  frontier  or 


272  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

on  Federal  soil,  if'  possible.  That  of  the  South  would  there 
thus  be  protected  from  the  ravages  of  the  enemy,  and  the 
further  advantage  would  accrue,  that  the  Confederate  cap 
ital,  Richmond,  would  at  all  times  be  safe  from  danger. 
This  was  an  important  consideration,  as  events  subsequently 
showed.  As  long  as  the  enemy  were  held  at  arm's-length, 
north  of  the  Rappahannock,  Richmond,  with  her  net-work 
of  railroads  connecting  with  every  part  of  the  South,  was 
safe,  and  the  Government,  undisturbed  in  their  capital,  re 
mained  a  power  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  But,  with  an 
enemy  enveloping  the  city,  and  threatening  her  lines  of 
communication,  the  tenure  of  the  place  by  the  Government 
was  uncertain.  When  General  Grant  finally  thus  enveloped 
the  city,  and  laid  hold  upon  the  railroads,  Lee's  army  was 
defeated,  and  the  Government  became  fugitive,  which  alone 
would  have  struck  a  mortal  blow  to  its  prestige  and  au 
thority. 

It  was  to  arrive  at  these  results,  which  his  sagacity  dis 
cerned,  that  Lee  always  advocated  such  movements  as  would 
throw  back  the  enemy,  and  drive  him,  if  possible,  from  the 
soil  of  Yirginia.  Another  important  consideration  was  the 
question  of  supplies.  These  were  at  all  times  deficient  in 
the  Confederate  armies,  and  it  was  obviously  the  best  policy 
to  protect  as  much  territory,  from  which  supplies  might  be 
drawn,  as  possible.  More  than  ever  before,  these  supplies 
were  now  needed ;  and  when  General  Lee  sent,  in  May  or 
June,  a  requisition  for  rations  to  Richmond,  the  commissary- 
general  is  said  to  have  endorsed  upon  the  paper,  "  If  Gen 
eral  Lee  wishes  rations,  let  him  seek  them  in  Pennsylvania." 

The  considerations  here  stated  were  the  main  induce 
ments  for  that  great  movement  northward  which  followed 


WHAT  LED  TO  THE  INVASION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.       273 

the  battle  of  Chancellorsville.  The  army  and  country  were 
enthusiastic ;  the  Government  rather  followed  than  led ;  and, 
throughout  the  month  of  May,  Lee  was  busily  engaged  in 
organizing  and  equipping  his  forces  for  the  decisive  advance. 
Experience  had  now  dictated  many  alterations  and  im 
provements  in  the  army.  It  was  divided  into  three  corps 
cFarmee,  each  consisting  of  three  divisions,  and  commanded 
by  an  officer  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general.  Long- 
street  remained  at  the  head  of  his  former  corps,  Ewell  suc 
ceeded  Jackson  in  command  of  "  Jackson's  old  corps,"  and 
A.  P.  Hill  was  assigned  to  a  third  corps  made  up  of  por 
tions  of  the  two  others.  The  infantry  was  thus  rearranged 
in  a  manner  to  increase  greatly  its  efficiency,  and  the  artil 
lery  arm  was  entirely  reorganized.  The  old  system  of  as 
signing  one  or  more  batteries  or  battalions  to  each  division 
or  corps  was  done  away  with,  and  the  artillery  of  the  army 
was  made  a  distinct  command,  and  placed  under  General  "W. 
IS".  Pendleton,  a  brave  and  energetic  officer,  who  was  thence 
forward  Lee's  "  chief  of  artillery."  The  last  arm,  the  cav 
alry,  was  also  increased  in  efficiency ;  and,  on  the  last  day  of 
May,  General  Lee  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  himself  in 
command  of  a  well-equipped  and  admirably-officered  army 
of  sixty-eight  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  bayo 
nets,  and  nearly  ten  thousand  cavalry  and  artillery — in  all, 
about  eighty  thousand  men.  Never  before  had  the  South 
ern  army  had  present  for  duty,  as  fighting  men,  so  large  a 
number,  except  just  before  the  battles  on  the  Chickahominy. 
There  was,  however,  this  great  difference  between  the  army 
then  and  at  this  time  :  in  those  first  months  of  1862,  it  was 
made  up  largely  of  raw  troops  who  had  never  heard  the 

discharge  of  a  musket  in  their  lives:  while  now,  in  May. 
19 


274:  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

1863,  the  bulk  of  the  army  consisted  of  Lee's  veterans,  men 
who  had  followed  him  through  the  fire  of  Manassas,  Sharps- 
burg,  Fredericksburg,  and  Chancellor sville,  and  could  be 
counted  on  to  effect  any  thing  not  absolutely  beyond  humaL. 
power.  General  Longstreet,  conversing  after  the  war  with 
a  gentleman  of  the  North,  declared  as  much.  The  army 
at  that  time,  he  said,  was  in  a  condition  to  undertake  any 
thing. 


X. 

LEE'S    PLANS    AND    OBJECTS. 

THE  great  game  of  chess  was  now  about  to  commence, 
and,  taking  an  illustration  from  that  game,  General  Lee  is 
reported  to  have  said  that  he  believed  he  would  "  swap 
queens,"  that  is,  advance  and  attempt  to  capture  the  city  of 
Washington,  leaving  General  Hooker  at  liberty,  if  he  chose 
so  to  do,  to  seize  in  turn  upon  Richmond.  What  the  result 
of  so  singular  a  manoeuvre  would  have  been,  it  is  impossible 
to  say ;  it  would  certainly  have  proved  one  of  the  strangest 
incidents  of  a  war  fruitful  in  varied  and  shifting  events. 

Such  a  plan  of  operations,  however,  if  ever  seriously  con 
templated  by  Lee,  was  speedily  abandoned.  He  nowhere 
makes  mention  of  any  such  design  in  his  published  reports, 
and  he  probably  spoke  of  it  only  in  jest.  His  real  aim  in 
the  great  movement  now  about  to  commence,  is  stated  with 
brevity  and  reserve — then  absolutely  necessary — but  also 
with  sufficient  clearness,  in  his  official  report.  The  position 
of  the  enemy  opposite  Fredericksburg  was,  he  says,  such  as 


LEE'S  PLANS  AND   OBJECTS.  275 

to  render  an  attack  upon  him  injudicious.  It  was,  there 
fore,  desirable  to  manoeuvre  him  out  of  it — force  him  to 
return  toward  Maryland — and  thus  free  the  country  of  his 
forces.  A  further  result  was  expected  from  this  movement. 
The  lower  Shenandoah  Valley  was  occupied  by  the  enemy 
under  General  Milroy,  who,  with  his  headquarters  at  Win 
chester,  harassed  the  whole  region,  which  he  ruled  with  a 
rod  of  iron.  "With  the  withdrawal  of  the  Federal  army 
under  General  Hooker,  and  before  the  advance  of  the  Con 
federates,  General  Milroy  would  also  disappear,  and  the  fer 
tile  fields  of  the  Yalley  be  relieved.  The  whole  force  of  the 
enemy  would  thus,  says  Lee,  "  be  compelled  to  leave  Yir- 
ginia,  and  possibly  to  draw  to  its  support  troops  designed  to 
operate  against  other  parts  of  the  country."  He  adds :  "  In 
this  way  it  was  supposed  that  the  enemy's  plan  of  campaign 
for  the  summer  would  be  broken  up,  and  part  of  the  season 
of  active  operations  be  consumed  in  the  formation  of  new 
combinations  and  the  preparations  that  they  would  require. 
In  addition  to  these  advantages,  it  was  hoped  that  other 
valuable  results  might  be  attained  by  military  success,"  that 
is  to  say,  by  a  battle  which  Lee  intended  to  fight  when  cir 
cumstances  were  favorable.  That  he  expected  to  fight,  not 
merely  to  manoeuvre  the  enemy  from  Yirginia,  is  apparent 
from  another  sentence  of  the  report.  "  It  was  thought,"  he 
says,  "  that  the  corresponding  movements  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy,  to  which  those  contemplated  by  us  would  probably 
give  rise,  might  offer  a  fair  opportunity  to  strike  a  Now 
at  the  army  therein,  commanded  ~by  General  Hooker"  the 
word  "  therein  "  referring  to  the  region  "  north  of  the  Po 
tomac."  In  the  phrase,  "  other  valuable  results  which  might 
be  attained  by  military  success,"  the  reference  is  plainly  to 


276  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

the  termination  of  the  contest  by  a  treaty  of  peace,  basec? 
upon  the  independence  of  the  South. 

These  sentences,  taken  from  the  only  publication  ever 
made  by  Lee  on  the  subject  of  the  Gettysburg  campaign, 
express  guardedly,  but  distinctly,  his  designs.  He  aimed  to 
draw  General  Hooker  north  of  the  Potomac,  clear  the  Yal- 
ley,  induce  the  enemy  to  send  troops  in  other  quarters  to 
the  assistance  of  the  main  Federal  army,  and,  when  the  mo 
ment  came,  attack  General  Hooker,  defeat  him  if  possible, 
and  thus  end  the  war.  That  a  decisive  defeat  of  the  Fed 
eral  forces  at  that  time  in  Maryland  or  Pennsylvania,  would 
have  virtually  put  an  end  to  the  contest,  there  seems  good 
reason  to  believe.  Following  the  Southern  victories  of 
Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville,  a  third  bloody  disaster 
would,  in  all  human  probability,  have  broken  the  resolution 
of  the  Federal  authorities.  "With  Lee  thundering  at  the 
gates  of  Washington  or  Philadelphia,  and  with  the  peace 
party  encouraged  to  loud  and  importunate  protest,  it  is  not 
probable  that  the  war  would  have  continued.  Intelligent 
persons  in  the  North  are  said  to  have  so  declared,  since  the 
war,  and  the  declaration  seems  based  upon  good  sense. 

Before  passing  from  this  necessary  preface  to  the  narra 
tive  of  events,  it  is  proper  to  add  that,  in  the  contemplated 
battle  with  General  Hooker,  when  he  had  drawn  him  north 
of  the  Potomac,  Lee  did  not  intend  to  assume  a  tactical  of 
fensive,  but  to  force  the  Federal  commander,  if  possible,  to 
make  the  attack.*  From  this  resolution  he  was  after 
ward  induced  by  circumstances  to  depart,  and  the  result  is 
known. 

*  "  It  had  not  been  intended  to  fight  a  general  battle  at  such  a  distance  front 
our  base,  unless  attacked  by  the  enemy." — Lee's  Report 


THE   CAVALRY-FIGHT  AT  FLEETWOOD.  277 

What  is  above  written  will  convey  to  the  reader  a  clear 
conception  of  Lee's  views  and  intentions  in  undertaking  his 
last  great  offensive  campaign ;  and  we  now  proceed  to  the 
narrative  of  the  movements  of  the  two  armies,  and  the  bat 
tle  of  Gettysburg. 


XL 

THE    CAVALRY-FIGHT    AT    FLEETWOOD. 

LEE  began  his  movement  northward  on  the  3d  day  of 
June,  just  one  month  after  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville. 
From  this  moment  to  the  time  when  his  army  was  concen 
trated  in  the  vicinity  of  Gettysburg,  his  operations  were 
rapid  and  energetic,  but  with  a  cautious  regard  to  the  move 
ments  of  the  enemy. 

Pursuing  his  design  of  manoeuvring  the  Federal  army 
out  of  Yirginia,  without  coming  to  action,  Lee  first  sent  for 
ward  one  division  of  Longstreet's  corps  in  the  direction  of 
Culpepper,  another  then  followed,  and,  on  the  4th  and  5th  of 
June,  E well's  entire  corps  was  sent  in  the  same  direction — 
A.  P.  Hill  remaining  behind  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock,  near  Fredericksburg,  to  watch  the  enemy  there, 
and  bar  the  road  to  Richmond.  These  movements  became 
speedily  known  to  General  Hooker,  whose  army  lay  north 
of  the  river  near  that  point,  and  on  the  5th  he  laid  a  pon 
toon  just  below  Fredericksburg,  and  crossed  about  a  corps 
to  the  south  bank,  opposite  Hill.  This  threatening  demon 
stration,  however,  was  not  suffered  by  Lee  to  arrest  his  own 
movements.  Seeing  that  the  presence  of  the  enemy  there 
was  "  intended  for  the  purpose  of  observation  rather  than 


278  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

attack,"  and  only  aimed  to  check  his  operations,  he  con 
tinued  the  withdrawal  of  his  troops,  by  way  of  Culpepper, 
in  the  direction  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 

A  brilliant  pageant,  succeeded  by  a  dramatic  and  stir 
ring  incident,  was  now  to  prelude  the  march  of  Lee  into 
the  enemy's  territory.  On  the  8th  of  June,  the  day  of  the 
arrival  of  Lee's  head  of  column  in  Culpepper,  a  review  of 
Stuart's  cavalry  took  place  in  a  field  east  of  the  court-house. 
The  review  was  a  picturesque  affair.  General  Lee  was  pres 
ent,  sitting  his  horse,  motionless,  on  a  little  knoll — the  erect 
figure  half  concealed  by  the  short  cavalry-cape  falling  from 
his  shoulders,  and  the  grave  face  overshadowed  by  the  broad 
gray  hat — while  above  him,  from  a  lofty  pole,  waved  the 
folds  of  a  large  Confederate  flag.  The  long  column  of  about 
eight  thousand  cavalry  was  first  drawn  up  in  line,  and  after 
ward  passed  in  front  of  Lee  at  a  gallop — Stuart  and  his 
staff-officers  leading  the  charge  with  sabres  at  tierce  point,  a 
species  of  military  display  highly  attractive  to  the  gallant 
and  joyous  young  commander.  The  men  then  charged  in 
mimic  battle  the  guns  of  the  "Stuart  Horse- Artillery," 
which  were  posted  upon  an  adjoining  hill ;  and,  as  the  col 
umn  of  cavalry  approached,  the  artillerists  received  them 
with  a  thunderous  discharge  of  blank  ammunition,  which 
rolled  like  the  roar  of  actual  battle  among  the  surrounding 
hills.  This  sham-fight  was  kept  up  for  some  time,  and  no 
doubt  puzzled  the  enemy  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock.  On  the  next  morning — either  in  consequence 
of  a  design  formed  before  the  review,  or  to  ascertain  what 
this  discharge  of  artillery  meant — two  divisions  of  Federal 
cavalry,  supported  by  two  brigades  of  "  picked  infantry," 
were  sent  across  the  river  at  Kelly's  and  Beverley's  Fords, 


THE  CAYALRY-FIGHT  AT  FLEET  WOOD.  279 

east  of  the  court-house,  to  beat  up  the  quarters  of  Stuart 
and  find  what  was  going  on  in  the  Southern  camps. 

The  most  extensive  cavalry-fight,  probably,  of  the  whole 
war,  followed.  One  of  Stuart's  brigades,  near  Beverley's 
Ford,  was  nearly  surprised  and  resolutely  attacked  at  day 
light  by  Buford's  division,  which  succeeded  in  forcing  back 
the  brigade  a  short  distance  toward  the  high  range  called 
Fleetwood  Hill,  in  the  rear.  From  this  eminence,  where  his 
headquarters  were  established,  Stuart  went  to  the  front  at  a 
swift  gallop,  opened  a  determined  fire  of  artillery  and  sharp 
shooters  upon  the  advancing  enemy,  and  sent  Hampton's 
division  to  attack  them  on  their  left.  Meanwhile,  however, 
the  enemy  were  executing  a  rapid  and  dangerous  movement 
against  Stuart's  rear.  General  Gregg,  commanding  the 
second  Federal  cavalry  division,  crossed  at  Kelly's  Ford 
below,  passed  the  force  left  in  that  quarter,  and  came  in 
directly  on  Stuart's  rear,  behind  Fleetwood  Hill.  In  the 
midst  of  the  hard  fight  in  front,  Stuart  was  called  now  to 
defend  his  rear.  He  hastened  to  do  so  by  falling  back  and 
meeting  the  enemy  now  charging  the  hill.  The  attack  was 
repulsed,  and  the  enemy's  artillery  charged  in  turn  by  the 
Southerners.  This  was  captured  and  recaptured  two  or 
three  times,  but  at  last  remained  in  the  hands  of  Stuart. 
^  General  Gregg  now  swung  round  his  right,  and  prepared 
to  advance  along  the  eastern  slope  of  the  hill.  Stuart  had, 
however,  posted  his  artillery  there,  and,  as  the  Federal  line 
began  to  move,  arrested  it  with  a  sudden  and  destructive 
fire  of  shell.  At  the  same  time  a  portion  of  Hampton's 
division,  under  the  brave  Georgian,  General  P.  M.  B. 
Young,  was  ordered  to  charge  the  enemy.  The  assault 
was  promptly  made  with  the  sabre,  unaided  by  carbine  or 


280  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

pistol  fire,  and  Young  cut  down  or  routed  the  force  in  front 
of  him,  which  dispersed  in  disorder  toward  the  river.  The 
dangerous  assault  on  the  rear  of  Fleetwood  Hill  was  thus 
repulsed,  and  the  advance  of  the  enemy  on  the  left,  near  the 
river,  met  with  the  same  ill  success.  General  "W".  H.  F.  Lee, 
son  of  the  commanding  general,  gallantly  charged  them  in 
that  quarter,  and  drove  them  back  to  the  Rappahannock, 
receiving  a  severe  wound,  which  long  confined  him  to  his 
bed.  Hampton  had  followed  the  retreating  enemy  on  the 
right,  under  the  fire  of  Stuart's  guns  from  Fleetwood  Hill ; 
and  by  nightfall  the  whole  force  had  recrossed  the  Rappa 
hannock,  leaving  several  hundred  dead  and  wounded  upon 
the  field.* 

This  reconnoissance  in  force — the  Federal  numbers  prob 
ably  amounting  to  fifteen  thousand — had  no  other  result 
than  the  discovery  of  the  fact  that  Lee  had  infantry  in  Cul- 
pepper.  Finding  that  the  event  of  the  fight  was  critical, 
General  Lee  had  moved  a  body  of  infantry  in  the  direction 
of  the  field  of  action,  and  the  gleam  of  the  bayonets  was 
seen  by  the  enemy.  The  infantry  was  not,  however,  en 
gaged  on  either  side,  unless  the  Federal  infantry  partici 
pated  in  the  initial  skirmish  near  Beverley's  Ford,  and  Gen 
eral  Lee's  numbers  and  position  were  not  discovered. 

"We  have  dwelt  with  some  detail  upon  this  cavalry  com 
bat,  which  was  an  animated  affair,  the  hand-to-hand  en 
counter  of  nearly  twenty  thousand  horsemen  throughout  a 

*  The  Southern  loss  was  also  considerable.  Colonel  Williams  was  killed, 
Generals  Lee  and  Butler  severely  wounded — the  latter  losing  his  foot — and 
General  Stuart's  staff  had  been  peculiarly  unfortunate.  Of  the  small  group  of 
officers,  Captain  Farley  was  killed,  Captain  White  wounded,  and  Lieutenant 
Goldsborough  captured.  The  Federal  force  sustained  a  great  loss  in  the  death 
of  the  gallant  Colonel  Davis,  of  the  Eighth  New- York  Cavalry,  and  other  offi 
cere. 


THE  MARCH  TO   GETTYSBURG.  281 

whole  day.  General  Stuart  was  censured  at  the  time  for 
allowing  himself  to  be  "  surprised,"  and  a  ball  at  Culpepper 
Court-House,  at  which  some  of  his  officers  were  present  sev 
eral  days  before,  was  pointed  to  as  the  origin  of  this  sur 
prise.  The  charge  was  wholly  unjust,  Stuart  not  having 
attended  the  ball.  !N"or  was  there  any  truth  in  the  further 
statement  that  "his  headquarters  were  captured"  in  conse 
quence  of  his  negligence.  His  tents  on  Fleetwood  Hill  were 
all  sent  to  the  rear  soon  after  daylight ;  nothing  whatever 
was  found  there  but  a  section  of  the  horse-artillery,  who 
fought  the  charging  cavalry  with  sabres  and  sponge-staifs 
over  the  guns  ;  that  Fleetwood  Hill  was  at  one  time  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  was  due  not  to  Stuart's  negligence,  but 
to  the  numbers  and  excellent  soldiership  of  General  Gregg, 
who  made  the  flank  and  rear  attack  while  Stuart  was  breast 
ing  that  in  front. 

These  detached  statements,  which  may  seem  unduly  mi 
nute,  are  made  in  justice  to  a  brave  soldier,  who  can  no 
longer  defend  himself. 


XII. 

THE    MARCH    TO    GETTYSBURG. 

THIS  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  penetrate  his  designs  had 
not  induced  General  Lee  to  interrupt  the  movement  of  his 
infantry  toward  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  The  Federal  corps 
sent  across  the  Bappahannock  at  Fredericksburg,  still  re 
mained  facing  General  Hill ;  and,  two  days  after  the  Fleet- 


282  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

wood  fight,  General  Hooker  moved  up  the  river  with  his 
main  body,  advancing  the  Third  Corps  to  a  point  near  Bev- 
erley's  Ford.  But  these  movements  were  disregarded  by 
Lee.  On  the  same  day  Swell's  corps  moved  rapidly  toward 
Chester  Gap,  passed  through  that  defile  in  the  mountain, 
pushed  on  by  way  of  Front  Royal,  and  reached  Winchester 
on  the  evening  of  the  13th,  having  in  three  days  marched 
seventy  miles. 

The  position  of  the  Southern  army  now  exposed  it 
to  very  serious  danger,  and  at  first  sight  seemed  to  indicate 
a  deficiency  of  soldiership  in  the  general  commanding  it. 
In  face  of  an  enemy  whose  force  was  at  least  equal  to  his 
own,*  Lee  had  extended  his  line  until  it  stretched  over  a 
distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles.  "When  Ewell  came 
in  sight  of  "Winchester,  Hill  was  still  opposite  Fredericks- 
burg,  and  Longstreet  half-way  between  the  two  in  Culpep- 
per.  Between  the  middle  and  rear  corps  was  interposed  the 
Rapidan  River,  and  between  the  middle  and  advanced  corps 
the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains.  General  Hooker's  army  was 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Rappahannock,  well  in  hand,  and 
comparatively  massed,  and  the  situation  of  Lee's  army 
seemed  excellent  for  the  success  of  a  sudden  blow  at  it. 

It  seems  that  the  propriety  of  attacking  the  Southern 
army  while  thus  in  transitu,  suggested  itself  both  to  Gen 
eral  'Hooker  and  to  President  Lincoln,  but  they  differed  as 
to  the  point  and  object  of  the  attack.  In  anticipation  of 
Lee's  movement,  General  Hooker  had  written  to  the  Presi 
dent,  probably  suggesting  a  counter-movement  across  the 
Rappahannock,  somewhere  near  Fredericksburg,  to  threaten 

*  General  Hooker  stated  his  "  effective  "  at  this  time  to  have  been  dimir 
ished  to  eighty  thousand  infantry. 


THB  MARCH  TO  GETTYSBURG.  283 

Richmond,  and  thus  check  Lee's  advance.  This,  however, 
President  Lincoln  refused  to  sanction. 

"  In  case  you  find  Lee  coming  to  the  north  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock,"  President  Lincoln  wrote  to  General  Hooker, 
"  I  would  by  no  means  cross  to  the  south  of  it.  I  would 
not  take  any  risk  of  being  entangled  upon  the  river,  like  an 
ox  jumped  half  over  a  fence,  and  liable  to  be  torn  ~by  dogs, 
front  and  rear,  without  a  fair  chance  to  gore  one  way  or 
kick  the  other" 

Five  days  afterward  the  President  wrote :  "  I  think  Lee's 
army,  and  not  Richmond,  is  your  true  objective  point.  If  he 
comes  toward  the  Upper  Potomac,  fight  him  when  oppor 
tunity  offers.  If  he  stays  where  he  is,  fret  him  and  fret 
him." 

When  intelligence  now  reached  Washington  that  the 
head  of  Lee's  column  was  approaching  the  Upper  Potomac, 
while  the  rear  was  south  of  the  Rappahannock,  the  Presi 
dent  wrote  to  General  Hooker :  "  If  the  head  of  Lee's  army 
is  at  Martinsburg,  and  the  tail  of  it  on  the  plank  road  be 
tween  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville,  the  animal  must 
be  very  slim  somewhere — could  you  not  "break  him  f  " 

General  Hooker  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  determine 
upon  a  decisive  course  of  action,  in  spite  of  the  tempting 
opening  presented  to  him  by  Lee.  It  would  seem  that 
nothing  could  have  been  plainer  than  the  gf  od  policy  of  an 
attack  upon  Hill  at  Fredericksburg,  which  would  certainly 
have  checked  Lee's  movement  by  recalling  Longstreet  from 
Culpepper,  and  Ewell  from  the  Yalley.  But  this  bold  op 
eration  did  not  appear  to  commend  itself  to  the  Federal  au 
thorities.  Instead  of  reenforcing  the  corps  sent  across  at 
Fredericksburg  and  attacking  Hill,  General  Hooker  with- 


284  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

drew  the  corps,  on  the  13th,  to  the  north  bank  of  the  river, 
got  his  forces  together,  and  began  to  fall  back  toward  Ma- 
nassas,  and  even  remained  in  ignorance,  it  seems,  of  all  con 
nected  with  his  adversary's  movements.  Even  as  late  as  the 
17th  of  June,  his  chief-of-staff,  General  Butterfield,  wrote  to 
one  of  his  officers  :  "  Try  and  hunt  up  somebody  from  Penn 
sylvania  who  knows  something,  and  has  a  cool  enough  head 
to  judge  what  is  the  actual  state  of  affairs  there  with  regard 
to  the  enemy.  My  impression  is,  that  Zee's  movement  on 
the  Upper  Potomac  is  a  cover  for  a  cavalry-raid  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river.  .  .  .  We  cannot  go  toggling  around 
until  we  know  what  we  are  going  after" 

Such  was  the  first  result  of  Lee's  daring  movement  to 
transfer  military  operations  to  the  region  north  of  the  Poto 
mac.  A  Northern  historian  has  discerned  in  his  plan  of 
campaign  an  amount  of  boldness  which  "  seemed  to  imply 
a  great  contempt  for  his  opponent."  This  is  perhaps  a 
somewhat  exaggerated  statement  of  the  case.  "Without 
"  boldness  "  a  commander  is  but  half  a  soldier,  and  it  may 
be  declared  that  a  certain  amount  of  that  quality  is  abso 
lutely  essential  to  successful  military  operations.  But  the 
question  is,  Did  Lee  expose  himself,  by  these  movements  of 
his  army,  to  probable  disaster,  if  his  adversary — equal  to  the 
occasion — struck  at  his  flank  ?  A  failure  of  the  campaign 
of  invasion  would  probably  have  resulted  from  such  an  at 
tack  either  upon  Hill  at  Fredericksburg,  or  upon  Longstreet 
in  Culpepper,  inasmuch  as  Swell's  column,  in  that  event, 
must  have  fallen  back.  But  a  defeat  of  the  combined  forces 
of  Hill  and  Longstreet,  who  were  within  supporting  distance 
of  each  other,  was  not  an  event  which  General  Hooker  could 
count  upon  with  any  degree  of  certainty.  The  two  corps 


THE  MARCH  TO  GETTYSBURG.  285 

numbered  nearly  fifty  thousand  men — that  is  to  say,  two- 
thirds  of  the  Southern  army ;  General  Hooker's  whole  force 
was  but  about  eighty  thousand ;  and  it  was  not  probable 
that  the  eighty  thousand  would  be  able  to  rout  the  fifty 
thousand,  when  at  Chancellorsville  less  than  this  last  num 
ber  of  Southerners  had  defeated  one  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand. 

There  seems  little  reason  to  doubt  that  General  Lee  took 
this  view  of  the  subject,  and  relied  on  Hill  and  Longstreet 
to  unite  and  repulse  any  attack  upon  them,  while  Swell's 
great  "  raiding  column  "  drove  forward  into  the  heart  of  the 
enemy's  territory.  That  the  movement  was  bold,  there  can 
certainly  be  no  question ;  that  it  was  a  reckless  and  hazard 
ous  operation,  depending  for  its  success,  in  Lee's  eyes,  solely 
on  the  supposed  inefficiency  of  General  Hooker,  does  not 
appear.  These  comments  delay  the  narrative,  but  the  sub 
ject  is  fruitful  in  suggestion.  It  may  be  pardoned  a  South 
ern  writer  if  he  lingers  over  this  last  great  offensive  move 
ment  of  the  Southern  army.  The  last,  it  was  also  one  of 
the  greatest  and  most  brilliant.  The  war,  therefore,  was  to 
enter  upon  its  second  stage,  in  which  the  South  was  to 
simply  maintain  the  defensive.  But  Lee  was  terminating 
the  first  stage  of  the  contest  by  one  of  those  great  cam 
paigns  which  project  events  and  personages  in  bold  relief 
from  the  broad  canvas,  and  illumine  the  pages  of  history. 

Events  were  now  in  rapid  progress.  Swell's  column — 
the  sharp  head  of  the  Southern  spear — reached  "Winchester 
on  the  13th  of  June,  and  Bodes,  who  had  been  detached 
at  Front  Eoyal  to  drive  the  enemy  from  Berryville,  reached 
the  last-named  village  on  the  same  day  when  the  force  there 
retreated  to  Winchester.  On  the  next  morning  Early's 


286  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

division  attacked  the  forces  of  Milroy  at  Winchester,  stormed 
and  captured  their  "  Star  Fort,"  on  a  hill  near  the  place, 
and  so  complete  was  the  rout  of  the  enemy  that  their  com 
mander,  General  Milroy,  had  scarcely  time  to  escape,  with 
a  handful  of  his  men,  in  the  direction  of  the  Potomac. 

For  this  disaster  the  unfortunate  officer  was  harshly  crit 
icised  by  General  Hooker,  who  wrote  to  his  Government,  "  In 
my  opinion,  Milroy 's  men  will  fight  better  under  a  soldier" 

After  thus  clearing  the  country  around  "Winchester, 
Ewell  advanced  rapidly  on  Martinsburg,  where  he  took  a 
number  of  prisoners  and  some  artillery.  The  captures  in 
two  days  had  been  more  than  four  thousand  prisoners  and 
twenty-nine  cannon,  with  four  hundred  horses  and  a  large 
amount  of  stores.  Ewell  continued  then  to  advance,  and, 
entering  Maryland,  sent  a  portion  of  his  cavalry,  under  Gen 
eral  Imboden,  westward,  to  destroy  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad,  and  another  body,  under  General  Jenkins,  in  ad 
vance,  toward  Chambersburg.  Meanwhile,  the  rest  of  the 
army  was  moving  to  join  him.  Hill,  finding  that  the  enemy 
had  disappeared  from  his  front  near  Fredericksburg,  hast 
ened  to  march  from  that  vicinity,  and  was  sent  forward  by 
Lee,  on  the  track  of  Ewell,  passing  in  rear  of  Longstreet, 
who  had  remained  in  Culpepper.  The  latter  was  now  di 
rected  by  Lee  to  move  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  Blue 
Ridge,  and,  by  occupying  Ashby's  and  Snicker's  Gaps,  pro 
tect  the  flank  of  the  column  in  the  Yalley  from  attack — a 
work  in  which  Stuart's  cavalry,  thrown  out  toward  the  ene 
my,  assisted. 

Such  was  the  posture  of  affairs  when  General  Hooker's 
chief-of-staff  became  so  much  puzzled,  and  described  the 
Federal  army  as  "  boggling  around,"  and  not  knowing 


THE  MARCH  TO   GETTYSBURG.  287 

"  what  they  were  going  after."  Lee's  whole  movement,  it 
appears,  was  regarded  as  a  feint  to  "  cover  a  cavalry-raid  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river  " — a  strange  conclusion,  it  would 
seem,  in  reference  to  a  movement  of  such  magnitude.  It 
now  became  absolutely  necessary  that  Lee's  designs  should 
be  unmasked,  if  possible ;  and  to  effect  this  object  Stuart's 
cavalry  force,  covering  the  southern  flank,  east  of  the  Blue 
Kidge,  must  be  driven  back.  This  was  undertaken  in  a  de 
liberate  manner.  Three  corps  of  cavalry,  with  a  division 
of  infantry  and  a  full  supply  of  artillery,  were  sent  forward 
from  the  vicinity  of  Manassas,  to  drive  Stuart  in  on  all  the 
roads  leading  to  the  mountain.  A  fierce  struggle  followed, 
in  which  Stuart,  who  knew  the  importance  of  his  position, 
fought  the  great  force  opposed  to  him  from  every  hill  and 
knoll.  But  he  was  forced  back  steadily,  in  spite  of  a  deter 
mined  resistance,  and  at  Upperville  a  hand-to-hand  sabre- 
fight  wound  up  the  movement,  in  which  the  Federal  cavalry 
was  checked,  when  Stuart  fell  back  toward  Paris,  crowned 
the  mountain-side  with  his  cannon,  and  awaited  a  final  at 
tack.  This  was  not,  however,  made.  ISTight  approaching, 
the  Federal  force  fell  back  toward  Manassas,  and.  on  the 
next  morning  Stuart  followed  them,  on  the  same  road  over 
which  he  had  so  rapidly  retreated,  beyond  Middleburg. 

Lee  paid  little  attention  to  these  operations  on  his  flank 
east  of  the  mountains,  but  proceeded  steadily,  in  personal 
command  of  his  infantry,  in  the  direction  of  the  Cumber 
land  Valley.  Ewell  was  moving  rapidly  toward  Harrisburg, 
with  orders  to  "  take "  that  place  "  if  he  deemed  his  force 
adequate,"  *  General  Jenkins,  commanding  cavalry,  pre- 

*  This  statement  of  Lee's  orders  is  derived  by  the  writer  from  Lieutenant- 
General  Ewell. 


288  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

ceding  the  advance  of  his  infantry.  He  had  thus  pierced 
the  enemy's  territory,  and  it  was  necessary  promptly  to  sup 
port  him.  Hill  and  Longs treet  were  accordingly  directed 
to  pass  the  Potomac  at  Shepherdstown  and  Williamsport. 
The  columns  united  at  Hagerstown,  and  on  the  27th  of 
June  entered  Chambersburg. 

General  Hooker  had  followed,  crossing  the  Potomac, 
opposite  Leesburg,  at  about  the  moment  when  Lee's  rear 
was  passing  from  Maryland  into  Pennsylvania.  The  direc 
tion  of  the  Federal  march  was  toward  Frederick,  from 
which  point  General  Hooker  could  move  in  either  one  of 
two  directions — either  across  the  mountain  toward  Boons- 
boro,  which  would  throw  him  upon  Lee's  communications, 
or  northward  to  Westminster,  or  Gettysburg,  which  would 
lead  to  an  open  collision  with  the  invading  army  in  a  pitched 
battle. 

At  this  juncture  of  affairs,  just  as  the  Federal  army  was 
concentrating  near  Frederick,  General  Hooker,  at  his  own 
request,  was  relieved  from  command.  The  occasion  of  this 
unexpected  event  seems  to  have  been  a  difference  of  opinion 
between  himself  and  General  Halleck,  the  Federal  general- 
in-chief,  on  the  question  whether  the  fortifications  at  Har 
per's  Ferry  should  or  should  not  be  abandoned.  The  point 
at  issue  would  appear  to  have  been  unimportant,  but  ill  feel 
ing  seems  to  have  arisen:  General  Hooker  resented  the 
action  of  the  authorities,  and  requested  to  be  relieved ;  his 
request  was  complied  with,  and  his  place  was  filled  by  Major- 
General  George  G.  Meade. 

General  Meade,  an  officer  of  excellent  soldiership,  and 
enjoying  the  repute  of  modesty  and  dignity,  assumed  com 
mand  of  the  Federal  army,  and  proceeded  rapidly  in  pursuit 


^^^SKETCH^^--^ 
OF  THE    COUNTRY 
ABOUND 

-- 

GETTYSBURG. 


>Hagerstcnvn  /Enimetslnarg 

MAR/YLAKD 


LEE  IN  PENNSYLVANIA.  289 

of  Lee.  The  design  of  moving  directly  across  the  South 
Mountain  on  Lee's  communications,  if  ever  entertained  by 
him,  was  abandoned.  The  outcry  from  Pennsylvania  drew 
him  perforce.  Ewell,  with  one  division,  had  penetrated  to 
Carlisle ;  and  Early,  with  another  division,  was  at  York ; 
everywhere  the  horses,  cattle,  and  supplies  of  the  country, 
had  been  seized  upon  for  the  use  of  the  troops ;  and  General 
Meade  was  loudly  called  upon  to  go  to  the  assistance  of  the 
people  thus  exposed  to  the  terrible  rebels.  His  movements 
were  rapid.  Assuming  command  on  June  28th,  he  began 
to  move  on  the  29th,  and  on  the  30th  was  approaching  the 
town  of  Gettysburg.* 


XIII. 

LEE    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 

LEE,  in  personal  command  of  the  corps  of  Hill  and  Long- 
Btreet,  had  meanwhile  moved  on  steadily  in  the  direction  of 
the  Susquehanna,  and,  reaching  Chambersburg  on  the  27th 
of  June,  "  made  preparations  to  advance  upon  Harrisburg." 

At  Chambersburg  he  issued  an  order  to  the  troops,  which 
should  find  a  place  in  every  biography  of  this  great  soldier. 

*  The  movements  of  the  Federal  commander  were  probably  hastened  by  the 
capture,  about  this  time  at  Hagerstown,  of  a  dispatch  from  President  Davis  to 
General  Lee.  Lee,  it  seems,  had  suggested  that  General  Beauregard  should  be 
sent  to  make  a  demonstration  in  the  direction  ofCulpepper,  and  by  thus  appear- 
ing  to  threaten  Washington,  embarrass  the  movements  of  the  Northern  army. 
To  this  suggestion  the  President  is  said  to  have  replied  that  he  had  no  troops 
to  make  such  a  movement ;  and  General  Meade  had  thus  the  proof  before  him 
that  Washington  was  in  no  danger.  The  Confederacy  was  thus  truly  un 
fortunate  again,  as  in  September,  1862,  when  a  similar  incident  came  to  th 
relief  of  General  McClellan. 


290  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

The  course  pursued  by  many  of  the  Federal  commanders  in 
Virginia  had  been  merciless  and  atrocious  beyond  words. 
General  Pope  had  ravaged  the  counties  north  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  especially  the  county  of  Culpepper,  in  a  manner 
which  reduced  that  smiling  region  wellnigh  to  a  waste  ; 
General  Milroy,  with  his  headquarters  at  Winchester,  had 
BO  cruelly  oppressed  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country 
as  to  make  them  execrate  the  very  mention  of  his  name ; 
and  the  excesses  committed  by  the  troops  of  these  officers, 
with  the  knowledge  and  permission  of  their  commanders, 
had  been  such,  said  a  foreign  writer,  as  to  "  cast  mankind 
two  centuries  back  toward  barbarism." 

"Now,  the  tables  were  turned,  and  the  world  looked  for  a 
sudden  and  merciless  retaliation  on  the  part  of  the  South 
erners.  Lee  was  in  Pennsylvania,  at  the  head  of  an  army 
thirsting  to  revenge  the  accumulated  wrongs  against  their 
helpless  families.  At  a  word  from  him  the  fertile  territory 
of  the  North  would  be  made  to  feel  the  iron  pressure  of 
military  rule,  proceeding  on  the  theory  that  retaliation  is  a 
just  principle  to  adopt  toward  an  enemy.  Fire,  slaughter, 
and  outrage,  would  have  burst  upon  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
black  flag,  which  had  been  virtually  raised  by  Generals  Pope 
and  Milroy,  would  have  flaunted  now  in  the  air  at  the 
head  of  the  Southern  army. 

Instead  of  permitting  this  disgraceful  oppression  of  non- 
combatants,  Lee  issued,  at  Chambersburg,  the  following 
general  order  to  his  troops  : 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 
CHAMBERSBURG,  PA.,  June  27, 1863.      f 

The  commanding  general  has  observed  with  much  satisfaction  the 
conduct  of  the  troops  on  the  march,  and  confidently  anticipates  results 


LEE  IN  PENNSYLVANIA.  291 

commensurate  with  the  high  spirit  they  have  manifested.  No  troops 
could  have  displayed  greater  fortitude,  or  better  performed  the  ardu 
ous  marches  of  the  past  ten  days.  Their  conduct  in  other  respects 
has,  with  few  exceptions,  been  in  keeping  with  their  character  as 
soldiers,  and  entitles  them  to  approbation  and  praise. 

There  have,  however,  been  instances  of  forgetfulness,  on  the  part  oi 
some,  that  they  have  in  keeping  the  yet  unsullied  reputation  of  the 
army,  and  that  the  duties  exacted  of  us  by  civilization  and  Christian 
ity  are  not  less  obligatory  in  the  country  of  the  enemy  than  in  our 
own. 

The  commanding  general  considers  that  no  greater  disgrace  could 
befall  the  army,  and,  through  it,  our  whole  people,  than  the  perpetra 
tion  of  the  barbarous  outrages  on  the  innocent  and  defenceless,  and 
the  wanton  destruction  of  private  property,  that  have  marked  the 
course  of  the  enemy  in  our  own  country.  Such  proceedings  not  only 
disgrace  the  perpetrators,  and  all  connected  with  them,  but  are  sub 
versive  of  the  discipline  and  efficiency  of  the  army,  and  destructive  of 
the  ends  of  our  present  movements.  It  must  be  remembered  that  we 
make  war  only  upon  armed  men,  and  that  we  cannot  take  vengeance 
for  the  wrongs  our  people  have  suffered  without  lowering  ourselves  in 
the  eyes  of  all  whose  abhorrence  has  been  excited  by  the  atrocities  of 
our  enemy,  without  offending  against  Him  to  whom  vengeance  belong- 
eth,  without  whose  favor  and  support  our  efforts  must  all  prove  in 
vain. 

The  commanding  general,  therefore,  earnestly  exhorts  the  troops  to 
abstain,  with  most  scrupulous  care,  from  unnecessary  or  wanton  injury 
to  private  property;  and  he  enjoins  upon  all  officers  to  arrest  and 
bring  to  summary  punishment  all  who  shall  in  any  way  offend  against 
the  orders  on  this  subject. 

R.  E.  LEE,  General. 

The  noble  maxims  and  truly  Christian  spirit  of  this 
paper  will  remain  the  undying  glory  of  Lee.  Under  what 
had  been  surely  a  bitter  provocation,  he  retained  the  calm 
ness  and  forbearance  of  a  great  soul,  saying  to  his  army: 


292  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

"  The  duties  exacted  of  us  by  civilization  and  Christianity 
are  not  less  obligatory  in  the  country  of  the  enemy  than  in 
our  own.  .  .  .  No  greater  disgrace  could  befall  the  army, 
and  through  it  our  whole  people,  than  the  perpetration  of 
outrage  upon  the  innocent  and  defenceless.  .  .  .  "We  make 
war  only  upon  armed  men,  and  cannot  take  vengeance  for 
the  wrongs  our  people  have  suffered  without  offending 
against  Him  to  whom  vengeance  belongeth,  without  whose 
favor  and  support  our  efforts  must  all  prove  in  vain." 

Such  were  the  utterances  of  Lee,  resembling  those  we 
might  attribute  to  the  ideal  Christian  warrior  ;  and,  indeed, 
it  was  such  a  spirit  that  lay  under  the  plain  uniform  of  the 
great  Virginian.  What  he  ordered  was  enforced,  and  no 
one  was  disturbed  in  his  person  or  property.  Of  this  state 
ment  many  proofs  could  be  given.  A  Pennsylvania  farmer 
said  to  a  Northern  correspondent,  in  reference  to  the  South 
ern  troops :  "I  must  say  they  acted  like  gentlemen,  and, 
their  cause  aside,  I  would  rather  have  forty  thousand  rebels 
quartered  on  my  premises  than  one  thousand  Union  troops." 
From  the  journal  of  Colonel  Freemantle-,  an  English  officer 
accompanying  the  Southern  army,  we  take  these  sentences : 

"In  passing  through  Greencastle  we  found  all  the  houses  and 
windows  shut  up,  the  natives  in  their  Sunday  clothes,  standing  at  their 
doors  regarding  the  troops  in  a  very  unfriendly  manner.  I  saw  no 
straggling  into  the  houses,  nor  were  any  of  the  inhabitants  disturbed 
or  annoyed  by  the  soldiers.  Sentries  were  placed  at  the  doors  of  many 
of  the  best  houses,  to  prevent  any  officer  or  soldier  from  getting  in  on 
any  pretence. ...  I  entered  Chambersburg  at  6  p.  M.  ...  Sentries  were 
placed  at  the  doors  of  all  the  principal  houses,  and  the  town  was 
cleared  of  all  but  the  military  passing  through  or  on  duty. . . .  No 
officer  or  soldier  under  the  rank  of  a  general  is  allowed  in  Chambers- 
burg  without  a  special  order  from  General  Lee,  which  he  is  very  chary 


LEE  IN  PENNSYLVANIA.  293 

of  giving,  and  I  hear  of  officers  of  rank  being  refused  this  pass.  ...  I 
went  into  Chambersburg  again,  and  witnessed  the  singularly  good 
behavior  of  the  troops  toward  the  citizens.  I  heard  soldiers  saying  to 
one  another  that  they  did  not  like  being  in  a  town  in  which  they  were 
very  naturally  detested.  To  any  one  who  has  seen,  as  I  have,  the  rav 
ages  of  the  Northern  troops  in  Southern  towns,  this  forbearance  seems 
most  commendable  and  surprising." 

A  Northern  correspondent  said  of  the  course  pursued  by 
General  Jenkins,  in  command  of  Swell's  cavalry :  "  By  way 
of  giving  the  devil  his  due,  it  must  be  said  that,  although 
there  were  over  sixty  acres  of  wheat  and  eighty  acres  of 
corn  and  oats  in  the  same  field,  he  protected  it  most  care 
fully,  and  picketed  his  horses  so  that  it  could  not  be  injured. 
~No  fences  were  wantonly  destroyed,  poultry  was  not  dis 
turbed,  nor  did  he  compliment  our  blooded  cattle  so  much 
as  to  test  the  quality  of  their  steak  and  roast." 

Of  the  feeling  of  the  troops  these  few  words  from  the 
letter  of  an  officer  written  to  one  of  his  family  will  convey 
an  idea :  "  I  felt  when  I  first  came  here  that  I  would  like 
to  revenge  myself  upon  these  people  for  the  devastation 
they  have  brought  upon  our  own  beautiful  home — that 
home  where  we  could  have  lived  so  happily,  and  that  we 
loved  so  much,  from  which  their  vandalism  has  driven  you 
and  my  helpless  little  ones.  But,  though  I  had  such  severe 
wrongs  and  grievances  to  redress,  and  such  great  cause  foi 
revenge,  yet,  when  I  got  among  these  people,  I  could  not 
find  it  in  my  heart  to  molest  them." 

Such  was  the  treatment  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania 
by  the  Southern  troops  in  obedience  to  the  order  of  the 
commander-in-chief.  Lee  in  person  set  the  example.  A 
Southern  journal  made  the  sarcastic  statement  that  he  be- 


294  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

came  irate  at  the  robbing  of  cherry-trees ;  and,  if  he  saw 
the  top  rail  of  a  fence  lying  upon  the  ground  as  he  rode  by, 
would  dismount  and  replace  it  with  his  own  hands. 


XIY. 

CONCENTEATION    AT    GETTYSBURG. 

THIS  was  the  position  of  the  great  adversaries  in  the 
last  days  of  June.  Lee  was  at  Chambersburg,  in  the  Cum 
berland  Yalley,  about  to  follow  Ewell,  who  was  approach 
ing  Harrisburg.  Early  had  captured  York ;  and  the  Federal 
army  was  concentrating  rapidly  on  the  flank  of  the  South 
ern  army,  toward  Gettysburg. 

Lee  had  ordered  the  movement  of  Early  upon  York, 
with  the  object  of  diverting  the  attention  of  the  Federal 
commander  from  his  own  rear,  in  the  Cumberland  Yalley. 
The  exact  movements  and  position  of  General  Meade  were 
unknown  to  him  ;  and  this  arose  in  large  measure  from  the 
absence  of  Stuart's  cavalry.  This  unfortunate  incident  has 
given  rise  to  much  comment,  and  Stuart  has  been  harshly 
criticised  for  an  alleged  disobedience  of  Lee's  plain  orders. 
The  question  is  an  embarrassing  one.  Lee's  statement  is  as 
follows :  "  General  Stuart  was  left  to  guard  the  passes  of 
the  mountains  "  (Ashby's  and  other  gaps  in  the  Blue  Ridge, 
in  Yirginia),  "  and  observe  the  movements  of  the  enemy, 
whom  he  was  instructed  to  harass  and  impede  as  much  as 
possible  should  he  attempt  to  cross  the  Potomac.  In  that 
event,  General  Stuart  was  directed  to  move  into  Maryland, 
crossing  the  Potomac  east  or  west  of  the  Blue  JKidge,  as  in 


CONCENTRATION  AT  GETTYSBURG.         295 

his  judgment  should  ~be  lest,  and  take  position  on  the  right 
of  our  column  as  it  advanced" 

This  order  was  certainly  plain  up  to  a  certain  point. 
Stuart  was  to  harass  and  embarrass  the  movements  of  the 
enemy,  in  case  they  attempted  to  cross  to  the  north  bank 
of  the  Potomac.  "When  they  did  cross,  he  also  was  to  pass 
the  river,  either  east  or  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  "  as  in  his 
judgment  should  seem  best."  So  far  the  order  was  unmis 
takable.  The  river  was  to  be  crossed  at  such  point  as 
Stuart  should  select,  either  on  the  lower  waters,  or  in  the 
Yalley.  Lee  added,  however,  that  this  movement  should  be 
made  in  such  a  manner  as  to  enable  Stuart  to  "  take  posi 
tion  on  the  right  of  our  column  as  it  advanced  " — the  mean 
ing  appearing  to  be  that  the  cavalry  should  move  between 
the  two  armies,  in  order  to  guard  the  Southern  flank  as 
it  advanced  into  the  Cumberland  Valley.  Circumstances 
arose,  however,  which  rendered  it  difficult  for  Stuart  to 
move  on  the  line  thus  indicated  with  sufficient  promptness 
to  render  his  services  valuable.  The  enemy  crossed  at 
Leesburg  while  the  Southern  cavalry  was  near  Middleburg ; 
and,  from  the  jaded  condition  of  his  horses,  Stuart  feared 
that  he  would  be  unable,  in  case  he  crossed  above,  to  place 
his  column  between  the  two  armies  then  rapidly  advancing. 
He  accordingly  took  the  bold  resolution  of  passing  the  Poto 
mac  below  Leesburg,  designing  to  shape  his  course  due 
northward  toward  Harrisburg,  the  objective  point  of  the 
Southern  army.  This  he  did — crossing  at  Seneca  Falls— 
but  on  the  march  he  was  delayed  by  many  incidents.  !Near 
Rockville  he  stopped  to  capture  a  large  train  of  Federal 
wagons  ;  at  Westminster  and  Hanovertown  he  was  tempo 
rarily  arrested  by  combats  with  the  Federal  cavalry ;  and, 


296  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

ignorant  as  he  was  of  the  concentration  of  Lee's  troops 
upon  Gettysburg,  he  advanced  rapidly  toward  Carlisle, 
where,  in  the  midst  of  an  attack  on  that  place,  he  was  re 
called  by  Lee. 

Such  were  the  circumstances  leading  to,  and  the  inci 
dents  attending,  this  movement.  The  reader  must  form  his 
own  opinion  of  the  amount  of  blame  to  be  justly  attached 
to  Stuart.  He  always  declared,  and  asserted  in  his  report 
of  these  occurrences,  that  he  had  acted  in  exact  obedience 
to  his  orders ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  as  appears  from  General 
Lee's  report,  those  orders  were  meant  to  prescribe  a  differ 
ent  movement.  He  had  marched  in  one  sense  on  "the 
right "  of  the  Southern  column  "  as  it  advanced ; "  but  in 
another  sense  he  had  not  done  so.  Yictory  at  Gettysburg 
would  have  silenced  all  criticism  of  this  difference  of  con 
struction  ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  event  was  different,  and 
the  strictures  directed  at  Stuart  were  natural.  The  absence 
of  the  cavalry  unquestionably  embarrassed  Lee  greatly; 
but,  in  his  report,  he  is  moderate  and  guarded,  as  usual,  in 
his  expressions.  "  The  absence  of  cavalry,"  he  says,  "  ren 
dered  it  impossible  to  obtain  accurate  information  "  of  Gen 
eral  Meade's  movements;  and  "the  march  toward  Gettys 
burg  was  conducted  more  slowly  than  it  would  have  been 
had  the  movements  of  the  Federal  army  been  known." 

To  return  now  to  the  movements  of  Lee's  infantry,  after 
the  arrival  of  the  main  body  at  Chambersburg.  Lee  was 
about  to  continue  his  advance  in  the  direction  of  Harris- 
burg,  when,  on  the  night  of  the  29th,  his  scouts  brought 
him  intelligence  that  the  Federal  army  was  rapidly  advan 
cing,  and  the  head  of  the  column  was  near  the  South  Moun 
tain.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  indicate  the  importance  of 


Battle    of 
GETTYSB  U  RG 


THE  FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHT  AT  GETTYSBURG.  297 

this  intelligence.  General  Meade  would  be  able,  without 
difficulty,  in  case  the  Southern  army  continued  its  march 
northward,  to  cross  the  South-Mountain  range,  and  place 
himself  directly  in  Lee's  rear,  in  the  Cumberland  Yalley. 
Then  the  Southern  forces  would  be  completely  intercepted 
— General  Meade  would  be  master  of  the  situation — and  Lee 
must  retreat  east  of  the  mountain  or  cut  his  way  through 
the  Federal  army. 

A  battle  was  thus  clearly  about  to  be  forced  upon  the 
Southern  commander,  and  it  only  remained  for  him  to  so 
manoeuvre  his  army  as  to  secure  a  position  in  which  he 
could  receive  the  enemy's  attack  with  advantage.  Lee  ac 
cordingly  put  his  column  in  motion  across  the  mountain 
toward  Gettysburg,  and,  sending  couriers  to  Ewell  and  Early 
to  return  from  Harrisburg  and  York  toward  the  same  point, 
made  his  preparations  to  take  position  and  fight. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  day  of  July,  this  was  then 
the  condition  of  affairs.  General  Meade  was  advancing 
with  rapidity  upon  the  town  of  Gettysburg,  and  Lee  was 
crossing  the  South  Mountain,  opposite  Chambersburg,  to 
meet  him. 

"When  the  heads  of  the  two  columns  came  together  in 
the  vicinity  of  Gettysburg,  the  thunders  of  battle  began. 


XY. 

THE    FIRST    DAY'S    FIGHT    AT    GETTYSBURG. 

THE  sanguinary  struggle  which  now  ensued  between  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  and  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
continued  for  three  days,  and  the  character  of  these  battles, 


298  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

together  with,  their  decisive  results,  have  communicated  to 
the  events  an  extraordinary  interest.  Every  fact  has  thus 
been  preserved,  and  the  incidents  of  the  great  combat,  down 
to  the  most  minute  details,  have  been  placed  upon  record. 
The  subject  is,  indeed,  almost  embarrassed  by  the  amount 
of  information  collected  and  published ;  and  the  chief  diffi 
culty  for  a  writer,  at  this  late  day,  is  to  select  from  the  mass 
such  salient  events  as  indicate  clearly  the  character  of  the 
conflict. 

This  difficulty  the  present  writer  has  it  in  his  power  to 
evade,  in  great  measure,  by  confining  himself  mainly  to  the 
designs  and  operations  of  General  Lee.  These  were  plain 
and  simple.  He  had  been  forced  to  relinquish  his  march 
toward  the  Susquehanna  by  the  dangerous  position  of  Gen 
eral  Meade  so  near  his  line  of  retreat ;  this  rendered  a  battle 
unavoidable ;  and  Lee  was  now  moving  to  accept  battle,  de 
signing,  if  possible,  to  secure  such  a  position  as  would  give 
him  the  advantage  in  the  contest.  Before  he  succeeded  in 
effecting  this  object,  battle  was  forced  upon  him — not  by 
General  Meade,  but  by  simple  stress  of  circumstances.  The 
Federal  commander  had  formed  the  same  intention  as  that 
of  his  adversary — to  accept,  and  not  deliver,  battle — and  did 
not  propose  to  fight  near  Gettysburg.  He  was,  rather,  look 
ing  backward  to  a  strong  position  in  the  direction  of  "West 
minster,  when  suddenly  the  head  of  his  column  became 
engaged  near  Gettysburg,  and  this  determined  every  thing. 

A  few  words  are  necessary  to  convey  to  the  reader  some 
idea  of  the  character  of  the  ground.  Gettysburg  is  a  town, 
nestling  down  in  a  valley,  with  so  many  roads  centring  in 
the  place  that,  if  a  circle  were  drawn  around  it  to  represent 
the  circumference  of  a  wheel,  the  roads  would  resemble  the 


THE  FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHT  AT   GETTYSBURG.  299 

spokes.  A  short  distance  south  of  the  town  is  a  ridge  of 
considerable  height,  which  runs  north  and  south,  bending 
eastward  in  the  vicinity  of  Gettysburg,  and  describing  a 
curve  resembling  a  hook.  From  a  graveyard  on  this  high 
ground  it  is  called  Cemetery  Hill,  or  Kidge.  Opposite  this 
ridge,  looking  westward,  is  a  second  and  lower  range  called 
Seminary  Kidge.  This  extends  also  north  and  south,  pass 
ing  west  of  Gettysburg.  Still  west  of  Seminary  Kidge  are 
other  still  lower  ranges,  between  which  flows  a  small  stream 
called  Willoughby  Kun;  and  beyond  these,  distant  about 
ten  miles,  rise  the  blue  heights  of  the  South  Mountain. 

Across  the  South  Mountain,  by  way  of  the  village  of 
Cashtown,  Lee,  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  July,  was  mov 
ing  steadily  toward  Gettysburg,  when  Hill,  holding  the 
front,  suddenly  encountered  the  head  of  the  enemy's  column 
in  the  vicinity  of  "Willoughby  Kun.  This  consisted  of  Gen 
eral  Buford's  cavalry  division,  which  had  pushed  on  in  ad 
vance  of  General  Keynolds's  infantry  corps,  the  foremost  in 
fantry  of  the  Federal  arrny,  and  now,  almost  before  it  was 
aware  of  Hill's  presence,  became  engaged  with  him.  Gen 
eral  Buford  posted  his  horse-artillery  to  meet  Hill's  attack, 
but  it  soon  became  obvious  that  the  Federal  cavalry  could 
not  stand  before  the  Southern  infantry  fire,  and  General 
Keynolds,  at  about  ten  in  the  morning,  hastening  forward, 
reached  the  field.  An  engagement  immediately  took  place 
between  the  foremost  infantry  divisions  of  Hill  and  Key 
nolds.  A  brigade  of  Hill's,  from  Mississippi,  drove  back  a 
Federal  brigade,  seizing  upon  its  artillery ;  but,  in  return, 
Archer's  brigade  was  nearly  surrounded,  and  several  hun 
dred  of  the  men  captured.  Almost  immediately  after  this 
incident  the  Federal  forces  sustained  a  serious  loss ;  General 


300  CHANCELLORSYILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

Reynolds — one  of  the  most  trusted  and  energetic  lieutenants 
of  General  Meade — was  mortally  wounded  while  disposing 
his  men  for  action,  and  borne  from  the  field.  The  Federal 
troops  continued,  however,  to  fight  with  gallantry.  Some 
of  the  men  were  heard  exclaiming,  "We  have  come  to 
stay  !  "  in  reference  to  which,  one  of  their  officers  afterward 
said,  "And  a  very  large  portion  of  them  never  left  that 
ground."  * 

Battle  was  now  joined  in  earnest  between  the  two  heads 
of  column,  and  on  each  side  reinforcements  were  sent  for 
ward  to  take  part  in  this  unexpected  encounter.  Neither 
General  Lee  nor  General  Meade  had  expected  or  desired  it. 
Both  had  aimed,  in  manoeuvring  their  forces,  to  select  ground 
suitable  for  receiving  instead  of  making  an  attack,  and  now 
a  blind  chance  seemed  about  to  bring  on  a  battle  upon 
ground  unknown  to  both  commanders.  "When  the  sound 
of  the  engagement  was  first  heard  by  Lee,  he  was  in  the  rear 
of  his  troops  at  the  headquarters  which  Hill  had  just  va 
cated,  near  Cashtown,  under  the  South  Mountain.  The  fir 
ing  was  naturally  supposed  by  him  to  indicate  an  accidental 
collision  with  some  body  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  and,  when 
intelligence  reached  him  that  Hill  was  engaged  with  the 
Federal  infantry,  the  announcement  occasioned  him  the 
greatest  astonishment.  General  Meade's  presence  so  neai 
him  was  a  circumstance  completely  unknown  to  Lee,  and 
certainly  was  not  desired  by  him.  But  a  small  portion  of 
his  forces  were  "  up."  Longstreet  had  not  yet  passed  the 
mountain,  and  the  forces  of  General  Ewell,  although  that 
officer  had  promptly  fallen  back,  in  obedience  to  his  orders, 

*  General  Doubleday :  Report  of  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War, 
Part  I.,  p.  307 


THE  FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHT  AT  GETTYSBURG.  3Q1 

from  the  Susquehanna,  were  not  yet  in  a  position  to  take 
part  in  the  engagement.  Under  these  circumstances,  if  the 
whole  of  General  Meade's  army  had  reached  Gettysburg,  di 
rectly  in  Lee's  front,  the  advantage  in  the  approaching  ac 
tion  must  be  largely  in  favor  of  the  Federal  army,  and  a 
battle  might  result  in  a  decisive  Confederate  defeat. 

"No  choice,  however,  was  now  left  General  Lee.  The 
head  of  his  advancing  column  had  come  into  collision  with 
the  enemy,  and  it  was  impossible  to  retire  without  a  battle. 
Lee  accordingly  ordered  Hill's  corps  to  be  closed  up,  and  re- 
enforcements  to  be  sent  forward  rapidly  to.  the  point  of  ac 
tion.  He  then  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  in  the  direction 
of  the  firing,  guided  by  the  sound,  and  the  smoke  which  rose 
above  the  tranquil  landscape. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day  and  a  beautiful  season  of  the  year. 
The  fields  were  green  with  grass,  or  golden  with  ripening 
grain,  over  which  passed  a  gentle  breeze,  raising  waves  upon 
the  brilliant  surface.  The  landscape  was  broken  here  and 
there  by  woods ;  in  the  west  rose  the  blue  range  of  the  South 
Mountain  ;  the  sun  was  shining  through  showery  clouds, 
and  in  the  east  the  sky  was  spanned  by  a  rainbow.  This 
peaceful  scene  was  now  disturbed  by  the  thundering  of  ar 
tillery  and  the  rattle  of  musketry.  The  sky  was  darkened, 
here  and  there,  by  clouds  of  smoke  rising  from  barns  or 
dwelling-houses  set  on  fire  by  shell ;  and  beneath  rose  red 
tongues  of  flame,  roaring  in  response  to  theguns. 

Each  side  had  now  sent  forward  reinforcements  to  sup 
port  the  vanguards,  and  an  obstinate  struggle  ensued,  the 
proportions  of  the  fight  gradually  increasing,  until  the  ac 
tion  became  a  regular  battle.  Hill,  although  suffering  from 

indisposition,  which  the  pallor  of  his  face  indicated,  met  the 
21 


302  CHANCELLORSVILLE    AND    GETTYSBURG. 

Federal  attack  with  his  habitual  resolution.  He  was  hard 
pressed,  however,  when  fortunately  one  of  General  Swell's 
divisions,  under  Rodes,  debouched  from  the  Carlisle  road, 
running  northward  from  Gettysburg,  and  came  to  his  assist 
ance.  Ewell  had  just  begun  to  move  from  Carlisle  toward 
Harrisburg — his  second  division,  under  Early,  being  at 
York — when  a  dispatch  from  Lee  reached  him,  directing 
him  to  return,  and  "  proceed  to  Gettysburg  or  Cashtown,  as 
his  circumstances  might  direct."  He  promptly  obeyed,  en 
camped  within  about  eight  miles  of  Gettysburg  on  the  even 
ing  of  the  30th,  and  was  now  moving  toward  Cashtown, 
where  Johnson's  division  of  his  corps  then  was,  when  Hill 
sent  him  word  that  he  needed  his  assistance.  Rodes  was 
promptly  sent  forward  to  the  field  of  action.  Early  was 
ordered  to  hurry  back,  and  Rodes  soon  reached  the  battle 
field,  where  he  formed  his  line  on  high  ground,  opposite  the 
Federal  right. 

The  appearance  of  this  important  reinforcement  relieved 
Hill,  and  caused  the  enemy  to  extend  his  right  to  face 
Bodes.  The  Federal  line  thus  resembled  a  crescent,  the 
left  half,  fronting  Hill,  toward  the  northwest ;  and  the  right, 
half  fronting  Eodes,  toward  the  north — the  town  of  Get 
tysburg  being  in  rear  of  the  curve.  An  obstinate  attack  was 
made  by  the  enemy  and  by  Rodes  at  nearly  the  same  mo 
ment.  The  loss  on  both  sides  was  heavy,  but  Rodes  suc 
ceeded  in  shaking  the  Federal  right,  when  Early  made  his 
appearance  from  the  direction  of  York.  This  compelled  the 
Federal  force  to  still  farther  extend  its  right,  to  meet 
the  new  attack.  The  movement  greatly  weakened  them. 
Rodes  charged  their  centre  with  impetuosity ;  Early  came 
in  on  their  right,  with  Gordon's  brigade  in  front,  and  under 


THE  FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHT  AT   GETTYSBURG.  3Q3 

this  combined  attack  the  Federal  troops  gave  way,  and  re 
treated  in  great  disorder  to  and  through  Gettysburg,  leaving 
the  ground  covered  with  their  dead  and  wounded  to  the 
number  of  about  five  thousand,  and  the  same  number  of 
prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  Confederates. 

The  first  collision  of  the  two  armies  had  thus  resulted  in 
a  clear  Southern  victory,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  this 
important  success  was  not  followed  up  by  the  seizure  of  the 
Cemetery  Range,  south  of  the  town,  which  it  was  in  the 
power  of  the  Southern  forces  at  that  time  to  do.  To  whom 
the  blame — if  blame  there  be — of  this  failure,  is  justly 
chargeable,  the  writer  of  these  pages  is  unable  to  state.  All 
that  he  has  been  able  to  ascertain  with  certainty  is  the  fol 
lowing  :  As  soon  as  the  Federal  forces  gave  way,  General 
Lee  rode  forward,  and  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
was  posted  on  an  elevated  point  of  Seminary  Ridge,  from 
which  he  could  see  the  broken  lines  of  the  enemy  rapidly 
retreating  up  the  slope  of  Cemetery  Range,  in  his  front. 
The  propriety  of  pursuit,  with  a  view  to  seizing  this  strong 
position,  was  obvious,  and  General  Lee  sent  an  officer  of  his 
staff  with  a  message  to  General  Ewell,  to  the  effect  that "  he 
could  see  the  enemy  flying,  that  they  were  disorganized,  and 
that  it  was  only  necessary  to  push  on  vigorously,  and  the 
Cemetery  heights  were  ours."  *  Just  about  the  moment,  it 
would  seem,  when  this  order  was  dispatched — about  half- 
past  four — General  Hill,  who  had  joined  Lee  on  the  ridge, 
"  received  a  message  from  General  Ewell,  requesting  him 
(Hill)  to  press  the  enemy  in  front,  while  he  performed  the 
same  operation  on  his  right."  This  statement  is  taken  from 
the  journal  of  Colonel  Freemantle,  who  was  present  and 

*  The  officer  who  carried  the  order  is  our  authority  for  this  statement. 


304:  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

noted  the  hour.  He  adds :  "  The  pressure  was  accordingly 
applied,  in  a  mild  degree,  but  the  enemy  were  too  strongly 
posted,  and  it  was  too  late  in  the  evening  for  a  regular  at 
tack."  General  Ewell,  an  officer  of  great  courage  and  en 
ergy,  is  said  to  have  awaited  the  arrival  of  his  third  division 
(Johnson's)  before  making  a  decisive  assault.  Upon  the  ar 
rival  of  Johnson,  about  sunset,  General  Ewell  prepared  to 
advance  and  seize  upon  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Ceme 
tery  Range,  which  commanded  the  subsequent  Federal 
position.  At  this  moment  General  Lee  sent  him  word  to 
"  proceed  with  his  troops  to  the  [Confederate]  right,  in  case 
he  could  do  nothing  where  he  was ; "  he  proceeded  to  Gen 
eral  Lee's  tent  thereupon  to  confer  with  him,  and  the  result 
was  that  it  was  agreed  to  first  assault  the  hill  on  the  right. 
It  was  now,  however,  after  midnight,  and  the  attack  was 
directed  by  Lee  to  be  deferred  until  the  next  morning. 

It  was  certainly  unfortunate  that  the  advance  was  not 
then  made;  but  Lee,  in  his  report,  attributes  no  blame  to 
any  one.  "  The  attack,"  he  says,  "  was  not  pressed  that 
afternoon,  the  enemy's  force  "being  unknown^  and  it  ~being 
considered  advisable  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  rest  of  our 
troops" 

The  failure  to  press  the  enemy  immediately  after  their 
retreat,  with  the  view  of  driving  them  from  and  occupying 
Cemetery  Heights,  is  susceptible  of  an  explanation  which 
seems  to  retrieve  the  Southern  commander  and  his  subordi 
nates  from  serious  criticism.  The  Federal  forces  had  been 
driven  from  the  ground  north  and  west  of  Gettysburg,  but 
it  was  seen  now  that  the  troops  thus  defeated  constituted 
only  a  small  portion  of  General  Meade's  army,  and  Lee  had 
no  means  of  ascertaining,  with  any  degree  of  certainty,  that 


THE  FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHT  AT   GETTYSBURG.  3Q5 

the  main  body  was  not  near  at  hand.  The  fact  was  not  im 
probable,  and  it  was  not  known  that  Cemetery  Hill  was 
not  then  in  their  possession.  The  wooded  character  of  the 
ground  rendered  it  difficult  for  General  Lee,  even  from  his 
elevated  position  on  Seminary  Ridge,  to  discover  whether 
the  heights  opposite  were,  or  were  not,  held  by  a  strong 
force.  Infantry  were  visible  there  j  and  in  the  plain  in  front 
the  cavalry  of  General  Buford  were  drawn  up,  as  though 
ready  to  accept  battle.  It  was  not  until  after  the  battle 
that  it  was  known  that  the  heights  might  have  been  seized 
upon — General  Hancock,  who  had  succeeded  Reynolds, 
having,  to  defend  them,  but  a  single  brigade.  This  fact  was 
not  known  to  Lee ;  the  sun  was  now  declining,  and  the  ad 
vance  upon  Cemetery  Hill  was  deferred  until  the  next  day. 

When  on  the  next  morning,  between  daybreak  and  sun 
rise,  General  Lee,  accompanied  by  Hill,  Longstreet,  and 
Hood,  ascended  to  the  same  point  on  Seminary  Ridge,  and 
reconnoitred  the  opposite  heights  through  his  field-glass, 
they  were  seen  to  be  occupied  by  heavy  lines  of  infantry 
and  numerous  artillery.  The  moment  had  passed ;  the  ram 
part  in  his  front  bristled  with  bayonets  and  cannon.  General 
Hancock,  in  command  of  the  Federal  advance,  had  hastened 
back  at  nightfall  to  General  Meade,  who  was  still  some  dis 
tance  in  rear,  and  reported  the  position  to  be  an  excellent 
one  for  receiving  the  Southern  attack.  Upon  this  information 
General  Meade  had  at  once  acted ;  by  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning  his  headquarters  were  established  upon  the  ridge ; 
and  when  Lee,  on  Seminary  Hill  opposite,  was  reconnoi 
tring  the  heights,  the  great  bulk  of  the  Federal  army  was 
in  position  to  receive  his  assault. 

The  adversaries  were  thus  face  to  face,  and  a  battle  could 


306  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

not  well  be  avoided.  Lee  and  his  troops  were  in  high  spirits 
and  confident  of  victory,  but  every  advantage  of  position 
was  seen  to  be  on  the  side  of  the  enemy. 


XYI. 

THE    TWO    ARMIES    IN    POSITION. 

THE  morning  of  the  2d  of  July  had  arrived,  and  the  two 
armies  were  in  presence  of  each  other  and  ready  for  battle. 
The  question  was,  which  of  the  great  adversaries  would 
make  the  attack. 

General  Meade  was  as  averse  to  assuming  the  offensive 
as  his  opponent.  Lee's  statement  on  this  subject  has  been 
given,  but  is  here  repeated :  "  It  had  not  been  intended  to 
fight  a  general  battle,"  he  wrote,  "  at  such  a  distance  from 
our  base,  unless  attacked  "by  the  enemy"  General  Meade 
said  before  the  war  committee  afterward,  "  It  was  my 
desire  to  fight  a  defensive  rather  than  an  offensive  battle," 
and  he  adds  the  obvious  explanation,  that  he  was  "  satisfied 
his  chances  of  success  were  greater  in  a  defensive  battle  than 
an  offensive  one."  There  was  this  great  advantage,  how 
ever,  on  the  Federal  side,  that  the  troops  were  on  their  own 
soil,  with  their  communications  uninterrupted,  and  could 
wait,  while  General  Lee  was  in  hostile  territory,  a  consider 
able  distance  from  his  base  of  supplies,  and  must,  for  that 
reason,  either  attack  his  adversary  or  retreat. 

He  decided  to  attack.  To  this  decision  he  seems  to  have 
been  impelled,  in  large  measure,  by  the  extraordinary  spirit 
of  his  troops,  whose  demeanor  in  the  subsequent  struggle  was 


THE  TWO  ARMIES  IN  POSITION.  307 

said  by  a  Federal  officer  to  resemble  that  of  men  "  drunk  on 
champagne."  General  Longstreet  described  the  army  at  this 
moment  as  able,  from  the  singular  afflatus  which  bore  it  up, 
to  undertake  "  any  thing,"  and  this  sanguine  spirit  was  the 
natural  result  of  a  nearly  unbroken  series  of  victories.  At 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  and  in  the  preliminary 
struggle  of  Gettysburg,  they  had  driven  the  enemy  before 
them  in  disorder,  and,  on  the  night  succeeding  this  last  vic 
tory,  both  officers  and  men  spoke  of  the  coming  battle  "  as 
a  certainty,  and  the  universal  feeling  in  the  army  was  one 
of  profound  contempt  for  an  enemy  whom  they  had  beaten 
so  constantly,  and  under  so  many  disadvantages."  *  Con 
tempt  of  an  adversary  is  dangerous,  and  pride  goes  before  a 
fall.  The  truth  of  these  pithy  adages  was  now  about  to  be 
shown. 

General  Lee,  it  is  said,  shared  the  general  confidence  of 
his  troops,  and  was  carried  away  by  it.  He  says  in  his  re 
port  :  "  Finding  ourselves  unexpectedly  confronted  by  the 
Federal  army,  it  became  a  matter  of  difficulty  to  withdraw 
through  the  mountain  with  our  large  trains ;  at  the  same 
time,  the  country  was  unfavorable  for  collecting  supplies 
while  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy's  main  body,  as  he  was 
enabled  to  restrain  our  foraging-parties  by  occupying  the 
passes  of  the  mountains  with  regular  and  local  troops.  A 
battle  thus  became  in  a  measure  unavoidable."  But,  even 
after  the  battle,  when  the  Southern  army  was  much  weaker, 
it  was  found  possible,  without  much  difficulty,  to  "  withdraw 
through  the  mountains  "  with  the  trains.  A  stronger  mo 
tive  than  this  is  stated  in  the  next  sentence  of  General  Lee's 
report :  "  Encouraged  ~by  the  successful  issue  of  the  engage- 

*  Colonel  Freemantle.     He  was  present,  and  speaks  from  observation. 


308  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

ment  of  the  first  day,  and  in  view  of  the  valuable  results 
that  would  ensue  from  the  defeat  of  the  army  of  General 
Meade,  it  was  thought  advisable  to  renew  the  attack."  The 
meaning  of  the  writer  of  these  words  is  plain.  The  Fed 
eral  troops  had  been  defeated  with  little  difficulty  in  the 
first  day's  fight ;  it  seemed  probable  that  a  more  serious 
conflict  would  have  similar  results ;  and  a  decisive  victory 
promised  to  end  the  war. 

General  Meade,  it  seems,  scarcely  expected  to  be  attacked. 
He  anticipated  a  movement  on  Lee's  part,  over  the  Em- 
metsburg  road  southward.*  By  giving  that  direction  to  his 
army,  General  Lee  would  have  forced  his  adversary  to  retire 
from  his  strong  position  on  Cemetery  Hill,  or  come  out  and 
attack  him  ;  whether,  however,  it  was  desirable  on  General 
Lee's  part  to  run  the  risk  of  such  an  attack  on  the  Southern 
column  in  transitu,  it  is  left  to  others  better  able  than  the 
present  writer  to  determine. 

This  unskilled  comment  must  pass  for  what  it  is  worth. 
It  is  easy,  after  the  event,  for  the  smallest  to  criticise  the 
greatest.  Under  whatever  influences,  General  Lee  deter 
mined  not  to  retreat,  either  through  the  South  Mountain  or 
toward  Emmetsburg,  but  marshalled  his  army  for  an  attack 
on  the  position  held  by  General  Meade. 

The  Southern  lines  were  drawn  up  on  Seminary  Ridge, 
and  on  the  ground  near  Gettysburg.  Longstreet's  corps 
was  posted  on  the  right,  opposite  the  Federal  left,  near  the 
southern  end  of  Cemetery  Ridge.  Next  came  Hill's  corps, 
extending  along  the  crest  nearly  to  Gettysburg.  There  it 
was  joined  by  E well's  line,  which,  passing  through  the  town, 
bent  round,  adapting  itself  to  the  position  of  the  Federal 

*  Testimony  of  General  Meade  before  the  war  committee. 


THE  TWO  ARMIES  IN  POSITION.  309 

right  which  held  the  high  ground,  curving  round  in  the 
shape  of  a  hook,  at  the  north  end  of  the  ridge. 

The  Federal  lines  thus  occupied  the  whole  Cemetery 
Kange — which,  being  higher,  commanded  Seminary  Ridge — 
and  consisted,  counting  from  right  to  left,  of  the  troops  of 
Generals  Howard,  Hancock,  Sickles,  Sykes,  and  Sedgwick  ; 
the  two  latter  forming  a  strong  reserve  to  guard  the  Federal 
left.  The  position  was  powerful,  as  both  flanks  rested  upon 
high  ground,  which  gave  every  advantage  to  the  assailed 
party  ;  but  on  the  Federal  left  an  accidental  error,  it  seems, 
had  been  committed  by  General  Sickles.  He  had  advanced 
his  line  to  a  ridge  in  front  of  the  main  range,  which  appeared 
to  afford  him  a  better  position ;  but  this  made  it  necessary 
to  retire  the  left  wing  of  his  corps,  to  cover  the  opening  in 
that  direction.  The  result  was,  an  angle — the  effect  of 
which  is  to  expose  troops  to  serious  danger — and  this 
faulty  disposition  of  the  Federal  left  seems  to  have  induced 
General  Lee  to  direct  his  main  attack  at  the  point  in  ques 
tion,  with  the  view  of  breaking  the  Federal  line,  and  seizing 
upon  the  main  ridge  in  rear.  "  In  front  of  General  Long- 
street,"  he  says,  "  the  enemy  held  a  position  from  which,  if 
he  could  be  driven,  it  was  thought  that  our  army  could  be 
used  to  advantage  in  assailing  the  more  elevated  ground 
beyond."  In  order  to  cooperate  in  this,  the  main  attack, 
Ewell  was  ordered  at  the  same  time  to  assail  the  Federal 
right  toward  Gettysburg,  and  Hill  directed  to  threaten  their 
centre,  and,  if  there  were  an  opening,  make  a  real  attack. 
These  demonstrations  against  the  enemy's  right  and  centre, 
Lee  anticipated,  would  prevent  him  from  reenforcing  his  left. 
Longstreet  would  thus,  he  hoped,  be  "  enabled  to  reach  the 
west  of  the  ridge"  in  rear  of  the  Federal  line ;  and  General 


310  CHANCELLORS VILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

Meade  afterward  said,  "  If  they  had  succeeded  in  occupying 
that,  it  would  have  prevented  me  from  holding  any  of  the 
ground  which  I  subsequently  held  at  the  last  " — that  is  to 
say,  that  he  would  have  been  driven  from  the  entire  Ceme 
tery  Range. 

Such  was  the  position  of  the  two  adversaries,  and  such 
the  design  of  Lee,  on  the  2d  of  July,  when  the  real  struggle 
was  about  to  begin. 


XYIL 

THE    SECOND    DAY. 

THROUGHOUT  the  forenoon  of  the  day  about  to  witness 
one  of  those  great  passages  of  arms  which  throw  so  bloody  a 
glare  upon  the  pages  of  history,  scarcely  a  sound  disturbed 
the  silence,  and  it  was  difficult  to  believe  that  nearly  two 
hundred  thousand  men  were  watching  each  other  across  the 
narrow  valley,  ready  at  the  word  to  advance  and  do  their 
best  to  tear  each  other  to  pieces. 

During  all  these  long  hours,  when  expectation  and  sus 
pense  were  sufficient  to  try  the  stoutest  nerves,  the  two  com 
manders  were  marshalling  their  lines  for  the  obstinate  strug 
gle  which  was  plainly  at  hand.  General  Meade,  who  knew 
well  the  ability  of  his  opponent,  was  seeing,  in  person,  to 
every  thing,  and  satisfying  himself  that  his  lines  were  in 
order  to  receive  the  attack.  Lee  was  making  his  prepara 
tions  to  commence  the  assault,  upon  which,  there  could  be 
little  doubt,  the  event  of  the  whole  war  depended. 

From  the  gallantry  which  the  Federal  troops  displayed 
in  this  battle,  they  must  have  been  in  good  heart  for  the  en- 


THE  SECOND  DAY. 

counter.  It  is  certain  that  the  Southern  army  had  never 
been  in  better  condition  for  a  decisive  conflict.  We  have 
spoken  of  the  extraordinary  confidence  of  the  men,  in  them 
selves  and  in  their  commander.  This  feeling  now  exhibited 
itself  either  in  joyous  laughter  and  the  spirit  of  jesting 
among  the  troops,  or  in  an  air  of  utter  indifference,  as  of 
men  sure  of  the  result,  and  giving  it  scarcely  a  thought. 
The  swarthy  gunners,  still  begrimed  with  powder  from  the 
work  of  the  day  before,  lay  down  around  the  cannon  in  po 
sition  along  the  crest,  and  passed  the  moments  in  uttering 
witticisms,  or  in  slumber ;  and  the  lines  of  infantry,  seated 
or  lying,  musket  in  hand,  were  as  careless.  The  army  was 
plainly  ready,  and  would  respond  with  alacrity  to  Lee's  sig 
nal.  Of  the  result,  no  human  being  in  this  force  of  more 
than  seventy  thousand  men  seemed  to  have  the  least  doubt. 

Lee  was  engaged  during  the  whole  morning  and  until 
past  noon  in  maturing  his  preparations  for  the  assault  which 
he  designed  making  against  the  enemy's  left  in  front  of 
Longstreet.  All  was  not  ready  until  about  four  in  the  after 
noon;  then  he  gave  the  word,  and  Longstreet  suddenly 
opened  a  heavy  artillery-fire  on  the  position  opposite  him. 
At  this  signal  the  guns  of  Hill  opened  from  the  ridge  on  hia 
left,  and  Ewell's  artillery  on  the  Southern  left  in  front  of 
Gettysburg  thundered  in  response.  Under  cover  of  his  can 
non-fire,  Longstreet  then  advanced  his  lines,  consisting  of 
Hood's  division  on  the  right,  and  McLawe's  division  on  the 
left,  and  made  a  headlong  assault  upon  the  Federal  forces 
directly  in  his  front. 

The  point  aimed  at  was  the  salient,  formed  by  the  pro 
jection  of  General  Sickles's  line  forward  to  the  high  ground 
known  as  "  The  Peach  Orchard."  Here,  as  we  have  already 


§12  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

said,  the  Federal  line  of  battle  formed  an  angle,  with  the 
left  wing  of  Sickles's  corps  bending  backward  so  as  to  cover 
the  opening  between  his  line  and  the  main  crest  in  his  rear. 
Hood's  division  swung  round  to  assail  the  portion  of  the  line 
thus  retired,  and  so  rapid  was  the  movement  of  this  ener 
getic  soldier,  that  in  a  short  space  of  time  he  pushed  his 
right  beyond  the  Federal  left  flank,  had  pierced  the  exposed 
point,  and  was  in  direct  proximity  to  the  much-coveted 
"  crest  of  the  ridge,"  upon  the  possession  of  which  depended 
the  fate  of  the  battle.  Hood  was  fully  aware  of  its  impor 
tance,  and  lost  not  a  moment  in  advancing  to  seize  it.  His 
troops,  largely  composed  of  those  famous  Texas  regiments 
which  Lee  had  said  "  fought  grandly  and  nobly,"  and  upon 
whom  he  relied  "  in  all  tight  places,"  responded  to  his  ar 
dent  orders :  a  small  run  was  crossed,  the  men  rushed  up 
the  slope,  and  the  crest  was  almost  in  their  very  grasp. 

Success  at  this  moment  would  have  decided  the  event  of 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and  in  all  probability  that  of  the 
war.  All  that  was  needed  was  a  single  brigade  upon  either 
side — a  force  sufficient  to  seize  the  crest,  for  neither  side  held 
it — and  with  this  brigade  a  rare  good  fortune,  or  rather  the 
prompt  energy  of  a  single  officer,  according  to  Northern  his 
torians,  supplied  the  Federal  commander.  Hood's  line  was 
rushing  up  with  cheers  to  occupy  the  crest,  which  here  takes 
the  form  of  a  separate  peak,  and  is  known  as  "  Little  Round 
Top,"  when  General  Warren,  chief-engineer  of  the  army, 
who  was  passing,  saw  the  importance  of  the  position,  and 
determined,  at  all  hazards,  to  defend  it.  He  accordingly 
ordered  the  Federal  signal-party,  which  had  used  the  peak 
as  a  signal-station,  but  were  hastily  folding  up  their  flags, 
to  remain  where  they  were,  laid  violent  hands  upon  a  bri- 


THE  SECOND  DAY.  313 

gade  which  was  passing,  and  ordered  it  to  occupy  tLe  crest ; 
and,  when  Hood's  men  rushed  up  the  rocky  slope  with  yells 
of  triumph,  they  were  suddenly  met  by  a  fusillade  from  the 
newly-arrived  brigade,  delivered  full  in  their  faces.  A  vio 
lent  struggle  ensued  for  the  possession  of  the  heights.  The 
men  fought  hand  to  hand  on  the  summit,  and  the  issue  re 
mained  for  some  time  doubtful.  At  last  it  was  decided  in 
favor  of  the  Federal  troops,  who  succeeded  in  driving  Hood's 
men  from  the  hill,  the  summit  of  which  was  speedily 
crowned  with  artillery,  which  opened  a  destructive  fire  upon 
the  retreating  Southerners.  They  fell  back  sullenly,  leaving 
the  ground  strewed  with  their  dead  and  wounded.  Hood 
had  been  wounded,  and  many  of  his  best  officers  had  fallen. 
For  an  instant  he  had  grasped  in  his  strong  hand  the  prize 
which  would  have  been  worth  ten  times  the  amount  of 
blood  shed ;  but  he  had  been  unable  to  retain  his  hold ;  he 
was  falling  back  from  the  coveted  crest,  pursued  by  that 
roar  of  the  enemy's  cannon  which  seemed  to  rejoice  in  his 
discomfiture. 

An  obstinate  struggle  was  meanwhile  taking  place  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Peach  Orchard,  where  the  left  of  Hood 
and  the  division  of  McLaws  had  struck  the  front  of  General 
Sickles,  and  were  now  pressing  his  line  back  steadily  toward 
the  ridge  in  his  rear.  In  spite  of  resolute  resistance  the 
Federal  troops  at  this  point  were  pushed  back  to  a  wheat- 
field  in  the  rear  of  the  Peach  Orchard,  and,  following  up  this 
advantage,  Longstreet  charged  them  and  broke  their  line 
which  fell  back  in  disorder  toward  the  high  ground  in  rear, 
In  this  attack  McLaws  was  assisted  by  Hill's  right  division 
— that  of  Anderson.  With  this  force  Longstreet  continued 
to  press  forward,  and,  piercing  the  Federal  line,  seemed 


214:  CHANCELLORSVILLE   AND   GETTYSBURG. 

about  to  inflict  upon  them  a  great  disaster  by  seizing  the 
commanding  position  occupied  by  the  Federal  left.  Noth 
ing  appears  to  have  saved  them  at  this  moment  from  deci 
sive  defeat  but  the  masterly  concentration  of  reinforcements 
after  reinforcements  at  the  point  of  danger.  The  heavy  re 
serves  under  Generals  Sykes  and  Sedgwick  were  opposite 
this  point,  and  other  troops  were  hastened  forward  to  oppose 
Longstreet.  This  reinforcement  was  continuous  throughout 
the  entire  afternoon.  In  spite  of  Lee's  demonstrations  in 
other  quarters  to  direct  attention,  General  Meade — driven 
by  necessity — continued  to  move  fresh  troops  incessantly  to 
protect  his  left ;  and  success  finally  came  as  the  reward  of 
his  energy  and  soldiership.  Longstreet  found  his  weary 
troops  met  at  every  new  step  in  advance  by  fresh  lines,  and, 
as  night  had  now  come,  he  discontinued  the  attack.  The 
Federal  lines  had  been  driven  considerably  beyond  the  point 
which  they  had  held  before  the  assault,  and  were  now  east 
of  the  wheat-field,  where  some  of  the  hardest  fighting  of  the 
day  had  taken  place,  but,  in  spite  of  this  loss  of  ground,  they 
had  suffered  no  serious  disaster,  and,  above  all,  Lee  had  not 
seized  upon  that  "  crest  of  the  ridge,"  which  was  the  key 
stone  of  the  position. 

Thus  Longstreet's  attack  had  been  neither  a  success  nor 
a  failure.  He  had  not  accomplished  all  that  was  expected, 
but  he  had  driven  back  the  enemy  from  their  advanced  po 
sition,  and  held  strong  ground  in  their  front.  A  contin 
uance  of  the  assault  was  therefore  deferred  until  the  next 
day — night  having  now  come — and  General  Longstreet 
ordered  the  advance  to  cease,  and  the  firing  to  be  discon 
tinued. 

During  the  action  on  the  right,  Hill  had  continued  to 


THE  SECOND  DAY.  315 

make  heavy  demonstrations  on  the  Federal  centre,  and 
Ewell  had  met  with  excellent  success  in  the  attack,  directed 
by  Lee,  to  be  made  against  the  enemy's  right.  This  was 
posted  upon  the  semicircular  eminence,  a  little  southeast 
of  Gettysburg,  and  the  Federal  works  were  attacked  by 
Ewell  about  sunset.  With  Early's  division  on  his  right, 
and  Johnson's  on  his  left,  Ewell  advanced  across  the  open 
ground  in  face  of  a  heavy  artillery-fire,  the  men  rushed  up 
the  slope,  and  in  a  brief  space  of  time  the  Federal  artillerists 
and  infantry  were  driven  from  the  works,  which  at  night 
fall  remained  in  Ewell's  hands. 

Such  had  been  the  fate  of  the  second  struggle  around 
Gettysburg.  The  moon,  which  rose  just  as  the  fighting  ter 
minated,  threw  its  ghastly  glare  upon  a  field  where  neither 
side  had  achieved  full  success. 

Lee  had  not  failed,  and  he  had  not  succeeded.  He  had 
aimed  to  drive  the  Federal  forces  from  the  Cemetery  Range, 
and  had  not  been  able  to  effect  that  object ;  but  they  had 
been  forced  back  upon  both  their  right  and  left,  and  a  sub 
stantial  advantage  seemed  thus  to  have  been  gained.  That 
the  Confederate  success  was  not  complete,  seems  to  have  re 
sulted  from  the  failure  to  seize  the  Round-Top  Hill.  The 
crisis  of  the  battle  had  undoubtedly  been  the  moment  when 
Hood  was  so  near  capturing  this  position — in  reference  to 
the  importance  of  which  we  quoted  General  Meade's  own 
words.  It  was  saved  to  the  Federal  army  by  the  presence 
of  mind,  it  seems,  of  a  single  officer,  and  the  gallantry  of  a 
single  brigade.  Such  are  the  singular  chances  of  battle,  in 
which  the  smallest  causes  so  often  effect  the  greatest  results. 

General  Lee,  in  company  with  General  Hill,  had,  during 
the  battle,  occupied  his  former  position  on  Seminary  Ridge, 


316  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

near  the  centre  of  his  line — quietly  seated,  for  the  greater 
portion  of  the  time,  upon  the  stump  of  a  tree,  and  looking 
thoughtfully  toward  the  opposite  heights  which  Longstreet 
was  endeavoring  to  storm.  His  demeanor  was  entirely 
calm  and  composed.  An  observer  would  not  have  con 
cluded  that  he  was  the  commander-in-chief.  From  time  to 
time  he  raised  his  field-glass  to  his  eyes,  and  rising  said  a 
few  words  to  General  Hill  or  General  Long,  of  his  staff. 
After  this  brief  colloquy,  he  would  return  to  his  seat  on  the 
stump,  and  continue  to  direct  his  glass  toward  the  wooded 
heights  held  by  the  enemy.  A  notable  circumstance,  and 
one  often  observed  upon  other  occasions,  was  that,  during 
the  entire  action,  he  scarcely  sent  an  order.  During  the 
time  Longstreet  was  engaged — from  about  half-past  four 
until  night — he  sent  but  one  message,  and  received  but  one 
report.  Having  given  full  directions  to  his  able  lieutenants, 
and  informed  them  of  the  objects  which  he  desired  to  attain, 
he,  on  this  occasion  as  upon  others,  left  the  execution  of  his 
orders  to  them,  relying  upon  their  judgment  and  ability. 

A  singular  incident  occurred  at  this  moment,  which 
must  have  diverted  Lee,  temporarily,  from  his  abstracted 
mood.  In  the  midst  of  the  most  furious  part  of  the  can 
nonade,  when  the  air  was  filled  with  exploding  shell,  a 
Confederate  band  of  music,  between  the  opposing  lines,  just 
below  General  Lee's  position,  began  defiantly  playing  pol 
kas  and  waltzes  on  their  instruments.  The  incident  was 
strange  in  the  midst  of  such  a  hurly-burly.  The  bloody 
battle-field  seemed  turned  into  a  ballroom. 

"With  nightfall  the  firing  sunk  to  silence.  The  moon 
had  risen,  and  the  pale  light  now  lit  up  the  faces  of  the 
dead  and  wounded  of  both  sides. 


THE  LAST  CHARGE  AT  GETTYSBURG.        317 

Lee's  first  great  assault  had  failed  to  secure  tlie  full  re 
sults  which  he  had  anticipated  from  it. 


XVIII. 

THE  LAST  CHARGE  AT  GETTYSBURG. 

THE  weird  hours  of  the  moonlit  night  succeeding  the 
'  second  day  at  Gettysburg  "  witnessed  a  consultation  be 
tween  Lee  and  his  principal  officers,  as  to  the  propriety  of 
renewing  the  attack  on  the  Federal  position,  or  falling  back 
in  the  direction  of  the  Potomac.  In  favor  of  the  latter  course 
there  seemed  to  be  many  good  reasons.  The  supplies,  both 
of  provisions  and  ammunition,  were  running  short.  The 
army,  although  unshaken,  had  lost  heavily  in  the  obsti 
nately-disputed  attack.  In  the  event  of  defeat  now,  its 
situation  might  become  perilous,  and  the  destruction  of  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  was  likely  to  prove  that  of  the 
Southern  cause.  On  the  other  hand,  the  results  of  the  day's 
fighting,  if  not  decisive,  had  been  highly  encouraging.  On 
both  the  Federal  wings  the  Confederates  had  gained  ground, 
which  they  still  held.  Longstreet's  line  was  in  advance  of 
the  Peach  Orchard,  held  by  the  enemy  on  the  morning  of 
the  second,  and  Ewell  was  still  rooted  firmly,  it  seemed,  in 
their  works  near  Gettysburg.  These  advantages  were  cer 
tainly  considerable,  and  promised  success  to  the  Southern 
arms,  if  the  assault  were  renewed.  But  the  most  weighty 
consideration  prompting  a  renewal  of  the  attack  was  the 
condition  of  the  troops.  They  were  undismayed  and  un- 
Bhaken  either  in  spirit  or  efficiency,  and  were  known  both  to 

expect  and  to  desire  a  resumption  of  the  assault.     Even 
22 


318  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

after  the  subsequent  charge  of  Piekett,  which  resulted  so 
disastrously,  the  ragged  infantry  were  heard  exclaiming : 
"  We've  not  lost  confidence  in  the  old  man !  This  day's 
work  won't  do  him  no  harm  !  Uncle  Robert  will  get  us  into 
Washington  yet !  "  Add  to  this  the  fact  that  the  issue  of 
the  second  day  had  stirred  up  in  Lee  himself  all  the  martial 
ardor  of  his  nature  ;  and  there  never  lived  a  more  thorough 
soldier,  when  he  was  fully  aroused,  than  the  Virginian. 
All  this  soldiership  of  the  man  revolted  at  the  thought  of 
retreating  and  abandoning  his  great  enterprise.  He  looked, 
on  the  one  hand,  at  his  brave  army,  ready  at  the  word  to 
again  advance  upon  the  enemy — at  that  enemy  scarce  able 
on  the  previous  day  to  hold  his  position — and,  weighing 
every  circumstance  in  his  comprehensive  mind,  which 
"  looked  before  and  after,"  Lee  determined  on  the  next 
morning  to  try  a  decisive  assault  upon  the  Federal  troops ; 
to  storm,  if  possible,  the  Cemetery  Range,  and  at  one  great 
blow  terminate  the  campaign  and  the  war. 

The  powerful  influences  which  we  have  mentioned,  co 
operating,  shaped  the  decision  to  winch  Lee  had  come. 
He  would  not  retreat,  but  fight.  The  campaign  should  not 
be  abandoned  without  at  least  one  great  charge  upon  the 
Federal  position ;  and  orders  were  now  given  for  a  renewal 
of  the  attack  on  the  next  morning.  "  The  general  plan  of 
attack,"  Lee  says,  "  was  unchanged,  except  that  one  division 
and  two  brigades  of  Hill's  corps  were  ordered  to  support 
Long-street."  From  these  words  it  is  obvious  that  Lee's  main 

o 

aim  now,  as  on  the  preceding  day,  was  to  force  back  the 
Federal  left  in  front  of  Longstreet,  and  seize  the  high 
ground  commanding  the  whole  ridge  in  flank  and  reverse. 
To  .this  erd  Longstreet  was  reenforced,  and  the  great  as- 


THE  LAST  CHARGE  AT  GETTYSBURG.        31Q 

sault  was  evidently  intended  to  take  place  in  that  quarter. 
But  circumstances  caused  an  alteration,  as  will  be  seen,  in 
Lee's  plans.  The  centre,  thus  weakened,  was  from  stress 
of  events  to  become  the  point  of  decisive  struggle.  The 
assaults  of  the  previous  day  had  been  directed  against  the 
two  extremities  of  the  enemy ;  the  assault  of  the  third  day, 
which  would  decide  the  fate  of  the  battle  and  the  campaign, 
was  to  be  the  furious  rush  of  Pickett's  division  of  Virginian 
troops  at  the  enemy's  centre,  on  Cemetery  Hill. 

A  preliminary  conflict,  brought  on  by  the  Federal  com 
mander,  took  place  early  in  the  morning.  Ewell  had  con 
tinued  throughout  the  night  to  hold  the  enemy's  breast 
works  on  their  right,  from  which  he  had  driven  them  in  the 
evening.  As  dawn  approached  now,  he  was  about  to  re 
sume  the  attack  ;  and,  in  obedience  to  Lee's  orders,  attempt 
to  "  dislodge  the  enemy  "  from  other  parts  of  the  ridge, 
when  General  Meade  took  the  initiative,  and  opened  upon 
him  a  furious  fire  of  cannon,  which  was  followed  by  a  de 
termined  infantry  charge  to  regain  the  hill.  Ewell  held  his 
ground  with  the  obstinate  nerve  which  characterized  him,  and 
the  battle  raged  about  four  hours — that  is,  until  about  eight 
o'clock.  At  that  time,  however,  the  pressure  of  the  enemy 
became  too  heavy  to  stand.  General  Meade  succeeded  in 
driving  Ewell  from  the  hill,  and  the  Federal  lines  were  re 
established  on  the  commanding  ground  which  they  had  pre 
viously  occupied. 

This  event  probably  deranged,  in  some  degree,  General 
Lee's  plans,  which  contemplated,  as  we  have  seen,  an  attack 
by  Ewell  contemporaneous  with  the  main  assault  by  Long- 
street.  Ewell  was  in  no  condition  at  this  moment  to  as 
sume  the  offensive  again  ;  and  the  pause  in  the  fighting  ap- 


320  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

pears  to  have  induced  General  Lee  to  reflect  and  modify  his 
plans.  Throughout  the  hours  succeeding  the  morning's 
struggle,  Lee,  attended  by  Generals  Hill  and  Longstreet, 
and  their  staff-officers,  rode  along  the  lines,  reconnoitring 
the  opposite  heights,  and  the  cavalcade  was  more  than  once 
saluted  by  bullets  from  the  enemy's  sharp-shooters,  and  an 
occasional  shell.  The  result  of  the  reconnoissance  seems 
to  have  been  the  conclusion  that  the  Federal  left — now 
strengthened  by  breastworks,  behind  which  powerful  re 
serves  lay  waiting — was  not  a  favorable  point  for  attack. 
General  Meade,  no  doubt,  expected  an  assault  there ;  and, 
aroused  to  a  sense  of  his  danger  by  the  Confederate  success 
of  the  previous  day,  had  made  every  preparation  to  meet  a 
renewal  of  the  movement.  The  Confederate  left  and  centre 
remained,  but  it  seemed  injudicious  to  think  of  attacking 
from  Swell's  position.  A  concentration  of  the  Southern 
force  there  would  result  in  a  dangerous  separation  of  the 
two  wings  of  the  army ;  and,  in  the  event  of  failure,  the 
enemy  would  have  no  difficulty  in  descending  and  turning 
Lee's  right  flank,  and  thus  interposing  between  him  and 
the  Potomac. 

The  centre  only  was  left,  and  to  this  Lee  now  turned 
his  attention.  A  determined  rush,  with  a  strong  column  at 
Cemetery  Hill  in  his  front,  might  wrest  that  point  from 
the  enemy.  Then  their  line  would  be  pierced ;  the  army 
would  follow;  Lee  would  be  rooted  on  this  commanding 
ground,  directly  between  the  two  Federal  wings,  upon 
which  their  own  guns  might  be  turned,  and  the  defeat  of 
General  Meade  must  certainly  follow.  Such  were,  doubt 
less,  the  reflections  of  General  Lee,  as  he  rode  along  the 
Seminary  Range,  scanning,  through  his  field-glass,  the  line 


THE  LAST  CHARGE  AT  GETTYSBURG.        321 

of  the  Federal  works.  His  decision  was  made,  and  orders 
were  given  by  him  to  prepare  the  column  for  the  assault. 
For  the  hard  work  at  hand,  Pickett's  division  of  Virginian 
troops,  which  had  just  arrived  and  were  fresh,  was  selected. 
These  were  to  be  supported  by  Heth's  division  of  North 
Carolina  troops,  under  General  Pettigrew,  who  was  to  move 
on  Pickett's  left;  and  a  brigade  of  Hill's,  under  General 
"Wilcox,  was  to  cover  the  right  of  the  advancing  column, 
and  protect  it  from  a  flank  attack. 

The  advance  of  the  charging  column  was  preceded  by  a 
tremendous  artillery-fire,  directed  from  Seminary  Ridge  at 
the  enemy's  left  and  centre.  This  began  about  an  hour  past 
noon,  and  the  amount  of  thunder  thus  unloosed  will  be  un 
derstood  from  the  statement  that  Lee  employed  one  hun 
dred  and  forty-five  pieces  of  artillery,  and  the  enemy  replied 
with  eighty — in  all  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  guns,  all 
discharging  at  the  same  time.  For  nearly  two  hours  this 
frightful  hurly-burly  continued,  the  harsh  roar  reverberat 
ing  ominously  in  the  gorges  of  the  hills,  and  thrown  back, 
in  crash  after  crash,  from  the  rocky  slopes  of  the  two 
ridges.  To  describe  this  fire  afterward,  the  cool  soldier, 
General  Hancock,  could  find  no  other  but  the  word  terrific. 
"  Their  artillery-fire,"  he  says,  "  was  the  most  terrific  can 
nonade  I  ever  witnessed,  and  the  most  prolonged.  ...  It 
was  a  most  terrific  and  appalling  cannonade — one  possibly 
hardly  ever  paralleled." 

"While  this  artillery-duel  was  in  progress,  the  charging 
column  was  being  formed  on  the  west  of  Seminary  Ridge, 
opposite  the  Federal  centre  on  Cemetery  Hill.  Pickett 
drew  up  his  line  with  Kemper's  and  Garnett's  brigades  in 
front,  and  Armistead's  brigade  in  rear.  The  brigade  under 


322  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

General  Wilcox  took  position  on  the  right,  and  on  the 
left  was  placed  the  division  under  Pettigrew,  which  was  to 
participate  in  the  charge.  The  force  numbered  between 
twelve  and  fifteen  thousand  men;  but,  as  will  be  seen, 
nearly  in  the  beginning  of  the  action  Pickett  was  left  alone, 
and  thus  his  force  of  about  five  thousand  was  all  that  went 
forward  to  pierce  the  centre  of  the  Federal  army. 

The  opposing  ridges  at  this  point  are  about  one 
mile  asunder,  and  across  this  space  Pickett  moved  at  the 
word,  his  line  advancing  slowly,  and  perfectly  "  dressed," 
with  its  red  battle-flags  flying,  and  the  sunshine  darting 
from  the  gun-barrels  and  bayonets.  The  two  armies  were 
silent,  concentrating  their  whole  attention  upon  this  slow 
and  ominous  advance  of  men  who  seemed  in  no  haste,  and 
resolved  to  allow  nothing  to  arrest  them.  When  the  col 
umn  had  reached  a  point  about  midway  between  the  oppos 
ing  heights  the  Federal  artillery  suddenly  opened  a  furious 
fire  upon  them,  which  inflicted  considerable  loss.  This, 
however,  had  no  effect  upon  the  troops,  who  continued  to 
advance  slowly  in  the  same  excellent  order,  without  exhibit 
ing  any  desire  to  return  the  fire.  It  was  impossible  to  wit 
ness  this  steady  and  well-ordered  march  under  heavy  fire 
without  feeling  admiration  for  the  soldiership  of  the  troops 
who  made  it.  "Where  shell  tore  gaps  in  the  ranks,  the  men 
quietly  closed  up,  and  the  hostile  front  advanced  in  the 
same  ominous  silence  toward  the  slope  where  the  real  strug 
gle,  all  felt,  would  soon  begin. 

They  were  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  hill,  when 
suddenly  a  rapid  cannon-fire  thundered  on  their  right, 
and  shell  and  canister  from  nearly  fifty  pieces  of  artillery 
swept  the  Southern  line,  enfilading  it,  and  for  an  instant 


THE  LAST  CHARGE  AT   GETTYSBURG.  323 

throwing  the  right  into  some  disorder.     This  disappeared 
at  once,  however.     The  column  closed  up,  and  continued 
to  advance,  unmoved,  toward  the  height.     At  last  the  mo 
ment  came.     The  steady  "  common-time  "  step  had  become 
"  quick  time ;  "  this  had  changed  to  "  double-quick ;  "  then 
the  column  rushed  headlong  at  the  enemy's  breastworks  on 
the  slope  of  the  hill.     As  they  did  so,  the  real  thunder  be 
gan.     A  fearful  fire  of  musketry  burst  forth,  and  struck 
them  in  the  face,  and  this  hurricane  scattered  the  raw  troops 
of  Pettigrew  as  leaves  are  scattered  by  a  wind.     That  whole 
portion  of  the  line  gave  way  in  disorder,  and  fled  from  the 
field,  which  was  strewed  with  their  dead ;  and,  as  the  other 
supports  had  not  kept  up,  the  Virginians  under  Pickett 
were  left  alone  to  breast  the  tempest  which  had  now  burst 
upon  them  in  all  its  fury. 

They  returned  the  fire  from  the  breastworks  in  their 
front  witli  a  heavy  volley,  and  then,  with  loud  cheers, 
dashed  at  the  enemy's  works,  which  they  reached,  stormed, 
and  took  possession  of  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Their 
loss,  however,  was  frightful.  Garnett  was  killed ;  Armistead 
fell,  mortally  wounded,  as  he  leaped  on  the  breastworks, 
cheering  and  waving  his  hat ;  Kemper  was  shot  and  disa 
bled,  and  the  ranks  of  the  Yirginians  were  thinned  to  a 
handful.  The  men  did  not,  however,  pause.  The  enemy 
had  partially  retreated,  from  their  first  line  of  breast 
works,  to  a  second  and  stronger  one  about  sixty  yards  be 
yond,  and  near  the  crest ;  and  here  the  Federal  reserve,  as 
Northern  writers  state,  was  drawn  up  "  four  deep."  This 
line,  bristling  with  bayonets  and  cannon,  the  Yirginians 
now  charged,  in  the  desperate  attempt  to  storm  it  with 
the  bayonet,  and  pierce,  in  a  decisive  manner,  the  centre 


824:  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  GETTYSBURG. 

of  the  Federal  army.  But  the  work  was  too  great  for  their 
powers.  As  they  made  their  brave  rush  they  were  met  by 
a  concentrated  fire  full  in  their  faces,  and  on  both  flanks  at 
the  same  moment.  This  fire  did  not  so  much  cause  them 
to  lose  heart,  as  literally  hurl  them  back.  Before  it  the 
whole  charging  column  seemed  to  melt  and  disappear.  The 
bravest  saw  now  that  further  fighting  was  useless — that  the 
works  in  their  front  could  riot  be  stormed — and,  with  the 
frightful  fire  of  the  enemy  still  tearing  their  lines  to  pieces, 
the  poor  remnants  of  the  brave  division  retreated  from  the 
hill.  As  they  fell  back,  sullenly,  like  bull-dogs  from  whom 
their  prey  had  been  snatched  just  as  it  was  in  their  grasp, 
the  enemy  pursued  them  with  a  destructive  fire  both  of 
cannon  and  musketry,  which  mowed  down  large  numbers, 
if  large  numbers,  indeed,  can  be  said  to  have  been  left. 
The  command  had  been  nearly  annihilated.  Three  gen 
erals,  fourteen  field-officers,  and  three-fourths  of  the  men, 
were  dead,  wounded,  or  prisoners.  The  Yirginians  had 
done  all  that  could  be  done  by  soldiers.  They  had  ad 
vanced  undismayed  into  the  focus  of  a  fire  unsurpassed, 
perhaps,  in  the  annals  of  war ;  had  fought  bayonet  to  bayo 
net  ;  had  left  the  ground  strewed  with  their  dead ;  and  the 
small  remnant  who  survived  were  now  sullenly  retiring, 
unsubdued ;  and,  if  repulsed,  not  "  whipped." 

Such  was  the  last  great  charge  at  Gettysburg.  Lee  had 
concentrated  in  it  all  his  strength,  it  seemed.  When  it 
failed,  the  battle  and  the  campaign  failed  with  it. 


LEE  AFTER  THE  CHARGE.  325 

XIX. 

LEE    AFTER    THE    CHARGE. 

THE  demeanor  of  General  Lee  at  this  moment,  when  his 
hopes  were  all  reversed,  and  his  last  great  blow  at  the  enemy 
had  failed,  excited  the  admiration  of  all  who  witnessed  it, 
and  remains  one  of  the  greatest  glories  of  his  memory. 

Seeing,  from  his  place  on  Seminary  Eidge,  the  unfortu 
nate  results  of  the  attack,  he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode 
forward  to  meet  and  encourage  the  retreating  troops.  The 
air  was  filled  with  exploding  shell,  and  the  men  were  com 
ing  back  without  order.  General  Lee  now  met  them,  and 
with  his  staff-officers  busied  himself  in  rallying  them,  utter 
ing  as  he  did  so  words  of  hope  and  encouragement.  Colonel 
Freemantle,  who  took  particular  notice  of  him  at  this  mo 
ment,  describes  his  conduct  as  "  perfectly  sublime."  "  Lee's 
countenance,"  he  adds,  "  did  not  show  sij  -s  of  the  slightest 
disappointment,  care,  or  annoyance,"  but  preserved  the  ut 
most  placidity  and  cheerfulness.  The  hurry  and  confusion 
of  the  scene  seemed  not  to  move  him  in  any  manner,  and 
he  rode  slowly  to  and  fro,  saying  in  his  grave,  kindly  voice 
to  the  men :  "  All  this  will  come  right  in  the  end.  "We'll 
talk  it  over  afterward,  but  in  the  mean  time  all  good  me.** 
must  rally.  We  want  all  good  and  true  men  just  now." 

Numbers  of  wounded  passed  him,  some  stretched  on  lit 
ters,  which  men  wearing  the  red  badge  of  the  ambulance 
corps  were  bearing  to  the  rear,  others  limping  along  bleed 
ing  from  hurts  more  or  less  serious.  To  the  badly  wounded 
Lee  uttered  words  of  sympathy  and  kindness ;  to  those  but 


326  CHANCE LLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

slightly  injured,  lie  said :  "  Come,  bind  up  your  wound  and 
take  a  musket,"  adding  "  my  friend,"  as  was  his  habit. 

An  evidence  of  his  composure  and  absence  of  flurry  was 
presented  by  a  slight  incident.  An  officer  near  him  was 
striking  his  horse  violently  for  becoming  frightened  and  un 
ruly  at  the  bursting  of  a  shell,  when  General  Lee,  seeing 
that  the  horse  was  terrified  and  the  punishment  would  do 
no  good,  said,  in  tones  of  friendly  remonstrance :  "  Don't 
whip  him,  captain,  don't  whip  him.  I've  got  just  such  a 
foolish  horse  myself,  and  whipping  does  no  good." 

Meanwhile  the  men  continued  to  stream  back,  pursued 
still  by  that  triumphant  roar  of  the  enemy's  artillery  which 
swept  the  whole  valley  and  slope  of  Seminary  Ridge  with 
shot  and  shell.  Lee  was  everywhere  encouraging  them,  and 
they  responded  by  taking  off  their  hats  and  cheering  him — 
even  the  wounded  joining  in  this  ceremony.  Although  ex 
posing  himself  with  entire  indifference  to  the  heavy  fire,  he 
advised  Colonel  Freemantle,  as  that  officer  states,  to  shelter 
himself,  saying :  "  This  has  been  a  sad  day  for  us,  colonel,  a 
sad  day.  But  we  can't  expect  always  to  gain  victories." 

As  he  was  thus  riding  about  in  the  fringe  of  woods,  Gen 
eral  Wilcox,  who,  about  the  time  of  Pickett's  repulse,  had 
advanced  and  speedily  been  thrown  back  with  loss,  rode  up 
and  said,  almost  sobbing  as  he  spoke,  that  his  brigade  was 
nearly  destroyed.  Lee  held  out  his  hand  to  him  as  he  was 
speaking,  and,  grasping  the  hand  of  his  subordinate  in  a 
friendly  manner,  replied  with  great  gentleness  and  kindness : 
"  E"ever  mind,  general,  all  this  has  been  my  fault.  It  is  1 
who  have  lost  this  fight,  and  you  must  help  me  out  of  it  in 
the  best  way  you  can." 

This  supreme  calmness  and  composure  in  the  command- 


LEE  AFTER  THE  CHARGE.  327 

er-in-chief  rapidly  communicated  itself  to  the  troops,  who 
soon  got  together  again,  and  lay  down  quietly  in  line  of  bat 
tle  in  the  fringe  of  woods  along  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  where 
Lee  placed  them  as  they  came  up.  In  front  of  them  the 
guns  used  in  the  great  cannonade  were  still  in  position,  and 
Lee  was  evidently  making  every  preparation  in  his  power 
for  the  highly  probable  event  of  an  instant  assault  upon  him 
in  his  disordered  condition,  by  the  enemy.  It  was  obvious 
that  the  situation  of  affairs  at  the  moment  was  such  as  to 
render  such  an  attack  highly  perilous  to  the  Southern  troops 
—and  a  sudden  cheering  which  was  now  heard  running  along 
the  lines  of  the  enemy  on  the  opposite  heights,  seemed  clear 
ly  to  indicate  that  their  forces  were  moving.  Every  prepa 
ration  possible  under  the  circumstances  was  made  to  meet 
the  anticipated  assault ;  the  repulsed  troops  of  Pickett,  like 
the  rest  of  the  army,  were  ready  and  even  eager  for  of  the 
attack — but  it  did  not  come.  The  cheering  was  afterward 
ascertained  to  have  been  simply  the  greeting  of  the  men  to 
some  one  of  their  officers  as  he  rode  along  the  lines ;  and 
night  fell  without  any  attempt  on  the  Federal  side  to  im 
prove  their  success. 

That  success  was  indeed  sufficient,  and  little  would  have 
been  gained,  and  perhaps  much  perilled,  by  a  counter-attack. 
Lee  was  not  defeated,  but  he  had  not  succeeded.  General 
Meade  could,  with  propriety,  refrain  from  an  attack.  The 
battle  of  Gettysburg  had  been  a  Federal  victory. 

Thus  had  ended  the  last  great  conflict  of  arms  on  North 
ern  soil — in  a  decisive  if  not  a  crushing  repulse  of  the  South 
ern  arms.  The  chain  of  events  has  been  so  closely  followed 
in  the  foregoing  pages,  and  the  movements  of  the  two  armies 
have  been  described  with  such  detail,  that  any  further  com- 


328  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

ment  or  illustration  is  unnecessary.  The  opposing  armies 
had  been  handled  with  skill  and  energy,  the  men  had  never 
fought  better,  and  the  result  seems  to  have  been  decided 
rather  by  an  occult  decree  of  Providence  than  by  any  other 
circumstance.  The  numbers  on  each  side  were  nearly  the 
same,  or  differed  so  slightly  that,  in  view  of  past  conflicts, 
fought  with  much  greater  odds  in  favor  of  the  one  side,  they 
might  be  regarded  as  equal.  The  Southern  army  when  it 
approached  Gettysburg  numbered  sixty-seven  thousand  bay 
onets,  and  the  cavalry  and  artillery  probably  made  the  en 
tire  force  about  eighty  thousand.  General  Meade's  state 
ment  is  that  his  own  force  was  about  one  hundred  thousand. 
The  Federal  loss  was  twenty-three  thousand  one  hundred 
and  ninety.  The  Southern  losses  were  also  severe,  but  can 
not  be  ascertained.  They  must  have  amounted,  however, 
to  at  least  as  large  a  number,  even  larger,  perhaps,  as  an  at 
tacking  army  always  suffers  more  heavily  than  one  that  is 
attacked. 

"What  is  certain,  however,  is  that  the  Southern  army,  if 
diminished  in  numbers  and  strength,  was  still  unshaken. 


XX. 

LEE'S  RETEEAT  ACROSS  THE  POTOMAC. 

LEE  commenced  his  retreat  in  the  direction  of  the  Poto 
mac  on  the  night  of  the  4th  of  July.  That  the  movement 
did  not  begin  earlier  is  the  best  proof  of  the  continued  effi 
ciency  of  his  army  and  his  own  willingness  to  accept  battle 
if  the  enemy  were  inclined  to  offer  it. 

After  the  failure  of  the  attack  on  the  Federal  centre,  he 


LEE'S  RETREAT  ACROSS  THE  POTOMAC.       329 

had  withdrawn  Ewell  from  his  position  southeast  of  Gettys 
burg,  and,  forming  a  continuous  line  of  battle  on  Seminary 
Kidge,  awaited  the  anticipated  assault  of  General  Meade. 
What  the  result  of  such  an  assault  would  have  been  it  is 
impossible  to  say,  but  the  theory  that  an  attack  would  have 
terminated  in  the  certain  rout  of  the  Southern  army  has 
nothing  whatever  to  support  it.  The  morale  of  Lee's  army 
was  untouched.  The  men,  instead  of  being  discouraged  by 
the  tremendous  conflicts  of  the  preceding  days,  were  irate, 
defiant,  and  ready  to  resume  the  struggle.  Foreign  officers, 
present  at  the  time,  testify  fully  upon  this  point,  describing 
the  demeanor  of  the  troops  as  all  that  could  be  desired  in 
soldiers ;  and  General  Longstreet  afterward  stated  that,  with 
his  two  divisions  under  Hood  and  McLaws,  and  his  powerful 
artillery,  he  was  confident,  had  the  enemy  attacked,  of  in 
flicting  upon  them  a  blow  as  heavy  as  that  which  they  had 
inflicted  upon  Pickett.  The  testimony  of  General  Meade 
himself  fully  corroborates  these  statements-.  When  giving 
his  evidence  afterward  before  the  war  committee,  he  said : 

"  My  opinion  is,  now,  that  General  Lee  evacuated  that 
position,  not  from  the  fear  that  he  would  be  dislodged  from 
it  "by  any  active  operations  on  my  part,  but  that  he  was  fear 
ful  that  a  force  would  be  sent  to  Harper's  Ferry  to  cut  off 
his  communications.  .  .  .  That  was  what  caused  him  to 
retire." 

When  asked  the  question,  "  Did  you  discover,  after  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg,  any  symptoms  of  demoralization  in 
Lee's  army  ? "  General  Meade  replied,  "  No,  sir ;  I  saw 
nothing  of  that  kind."  * 

There  was  indeed  no  good  reason  why  General  Lee 

*  Report  of  Committee  on  Conduct  of  War,  Part  L,  page  337. 


330  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

should  feel  any  extreme  solicitude  for  the  safety  of  his 
army,  which,  after  all  its  losses,  still  numbered  more  than 
fifty  thousand  troops ;  and,  with  that  force  of  veteran  com 
batants,  experience  told  him,  he  could  count  upon  holding 
at  bay  almost  any  force  which  the  enemy  could  bring 
against  him.  At  Chancellorsville,  with  a  less  number,  he 
had  nearly  routed  a  larger  army  than  General  Meade's.  If 
the  morale  of  the  men  remained  unbroken,  he  had  the  right 
to  feel  secure  now ;  and  we  have  shown  that  the  troops  were 
as  full  of  fight  as  ever.  The  exclamations  of  the  ragged 
infantry,  overheard  by  Colonel  Freemantle,  expressed  the 
sentiment  of  the  whole  army.  Recoiling  from  the  fatal 
charge  on  Cemetery  Hill,  and  still  followed  by  the  terrible 
fire,  they  had  heart  to  shout  defiantly :  "  We've  not  lost 
confidence  in  the  old  man  !  This  day's  work  won't  do  him 
no  harm !  Uncle  Robert  will  get  us  into  Washington  yet — 
you  bet  he  will !  " 

Lee's  reasons  for  retiring  toward  the  Potomac  were  un 
connected  with  the  morale  of  his  army.  "  The  difficulty  of 
procuring  supplies,"  he  says,  "rendered  it  impossible  to 
continue  longer  where  we  were."  What  he  especially 
needed  was  ammunition,  his  supply  of  which  had  been 
nearly  exhausted  by  the  three  days'  fighting,  and  it  was 
impossible  to  count  upon  new  supplies  of  these  essential 
stores  now  that  the  enemy  were  in  a  condition  to  interrupt 
his  communications  in  the  direction  of  Harper's  Ferry  and 
Williamsport.  The  danger  to  which  the  army  was  thus  ex 
posed  was  soon  shown  not  to  have  been  overrated.  General 
Meade  promptly  sent  a  force  to  occupy  Harper's  Ferry,  and 
a  body  of  his  cavalry,  hastening  across  the  South  Mountain, 
reached  the  Potomac  near  Falling  Waters,  where  they  de- 


LEE'S  RETREAT  ACROSS  THE  POTOMAC.  331 

Btroyed  a  pontoon  bridge  laid  there  for  the  passage  of  the 
Southern  army. 

Lee  accordingly  resolved  to  retire,  and,  after  remaining 
in  line  of  battle  on  Seminary  Eidge  throughout  the  evening 
and  night  of  the  3d  and  the  whole  of  the  4th,  during  which 
time  he  was  busy  burying  his  dead,  began  to  withdraw,  by 
the  Fairfield  and  Chambersburg  roads,  on  the  night  of  this 
latter  day.  The  movement  was  deliberate,  and  without 
marks  of  haste,  the  rear-guard  not  leaving  the  vicinity  of 
Gettysburg  until  the  morning  of  the  5th.  Those  who 
looked  upon  the  Southern  army  at  this  time  can  testify  that 
the  spirit  of  the  troops  was  unsubdued.  They  had  been  se 
verely  checked,  but  there  every  thing  had  ended.  Weary, 
covered  with  dust,  with  wounds  whose  bandages  were  soaked 
in  blood,  the  men  tramped  on  in  excellent  spirits,  and  were 
plainly  ready  to  take  position  at  the  first  word  from  Lee, 
and  meet  any  attack  of  the  enemy  with  a  nerve  as  perfect 
as  when  they  had  advanced 

For  the  reasons  stated  by  himself,  General  Meade  did 
not  attack.  He  had  secured  substantial  victory  by  awaiting 
Lee's  assault  on  strong  ground,  and  was  unwilling  now  to 
risk  a  disaster,  such  as  he  had  inflicted,  by  attacking  Lee  in 
position.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  authorities  at  "Washington 
was  not  shared  by  the  cool  commander  of  the  Federal  arrny. 
He  perfectly  well  understood  the  real  strength  and  condi 
tion  of  his  adversary,  and  seems  never  to  have  had  any  in 
tention  of  striking  at  him  unless  a  change  of  circumstances 
gave  him  some  better  prospect  of  success  than  he  could  see 
at  that  time. 

The  retrograde  movement  of  the  Southern  army  now 
began,  Lee's  trains  retiring  by  way  of  Chambersburg,  and 


332  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

his  infantry  over  the  Fairfield  road,  in  the  direction  of  Ha- 
gerstown.  General  Meade  at  first  moved  directly  on  the 
track  of  his  enemy.  The  design  of  a  "  stern  chase  "  was, 
however,  speedily  abandoned  by  the  Federal  commander, 
who  changed  the  direction  of  his  march  and  moved  south 
ward  toward  Frederick.  When  near  that  point  he  crossed 
the  South  Mountain,  went  toward  Sharpsburg,  and  -on  the 
12th  of  July  found  himself  in  front  of  the  Southern  army 
near  "Williamsport,  where  Lee  had  formed  line  of  battle  to 
receive  his  adversary's  attack. 

The  deliberate  character  of  General  Meade's  movements 
sufficiently  indicates  the  disinclination  he  felt  to  place  him 
self  directly  in  his  opponent's  front,  and  thus  receive  the 
full  weight  of  his  attack.  There  is  reason,  indeed,  to  be 
lieve  that  nothing  could  better  have  suited  the  views  of 
General  Meade  than  for  Lee  to  have  passed  the  Potomac 
before  his  arrival — which  event  would  have  signified  the 
entire  abandonment  of  the  campaign  of  invasion,  leaving 
victory  on  the  side  of  the  Federal  army.  But  the  elements 
seemed  to  conspire  to  bring  on  a  second  struggle,  despite 
the  reluctance  of  both  commanders.  The  recent  rains  had 
swollen  the  Potomac  to  such  a  degree  as  to  render  it  unford- 
able,  and,  as  the  pontoon  near  "Williamsport  had  been  de 
stroyed  by  the  Federal  cavalry,  Lee  was  brought  to  bay  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  river,  where,  on  the  12th,  as  we  have 
said,  General  Meade  found  him  in  line  of  battle. 

Lee's  demeanor,  at  this  critical  moment,  was  perfectly 
undisturbed,  and  exhibited  no  traces  whatever  of  anxiety, 
though  he  must  have  felt  much.  In  his  rear  was  a  swollen 
river,  and  in  his  front  an  adversary  who  had  been  reenforced 
with  a  considerable  body  of  troops,  and  now  largely  out- 


LEE'S  RETREAT  ACROSS  THE  POTOMAC.  333 

numbered  him.  In  the  event  of  battle  and  defeat,  the  situ 
ation  of  the  Southern  army  must  be  perilous  in  the  extreme. 
Nothing  would  seem  to  be  left  it,  in  that  event,  but  surren 
der,  or  dispersion  among  the  western  mountains,  where  the 
detached  bodies  would  be  hunted  down  in  detail  and  de 
stroyed  or  captured.  Confidence  in  himself  and  his  men 
remained,  however,  with  General  Lee,  and,  with  his  line 
extending  from  near  Hagerstown  to  a  point  east  of  Williams- 
port,  he  calmly  awaited  the  falling  of  the  river,  resolved, 
doubtless,  if  in  the  mean  time  the  enemy  attacked  him,  to 
fight  to  the  last  gasp  for  the  preservation  of  his  army. 

No  attack  was  made  by  General  Meade,  who,  arriving 
in  front  of  Lee  on  the  12th,  did  no  more,  on  that  day,  than 
feel  along  the  Southern  lines  for  a  point  to  assault.  On  the 
next  day  he  assembled  a  council  of  war,  and  laid  the  ques 
tion  before  them,  whether  or  not  it  were  advisable  to  make 
an  assault.  The  votes  of  the  officers  were  almost  unani 
mously  against  it,  as  Lee's  position  seemed  strong  and  the 
spirit  of  his  army  defiant ;  and  the  day  passed  without  any 
attempt  of  the  Federal  army  to  dislodge  its  adversary. 

"While  General  Meade  was  thus  hesitating,  Lee  was  act 
ing.  A  portion  of  the  pontoon  destroyed  by  the  enemy  was 
recovered,  new  boats  were  built,  and  a  practicable  bridge 
was  completed,  near  Falling  Waters,  by  the  evening  of  the 
13th.  The  river  had  also  commenced  falling,  and  by  this 
time  was  fordable  near  Williamsport.  Toward  dawn  on  the 
14th  the  army  commenced  moving,  in  the  midst  of  a  violent 
rain-storm,  across  the  river  at  both  points,  and  Lee,  sitting 
his  horse  upon  the  river's  bank,  superintended  the  opera 
tion,  as  was  his  habit  on  occasions  of  emergency.  Loss  of 
rest  and  fatigue,  with  that  feeling  of  suspense  unavoidable 


334  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

under  the  circumstances,  had  impaired  the  energies  of  even 
his  superb  physical  constitution.  As  the  bulk  of  the  rear 
guard  of  the  army  safely  passed  over  the  shaky  bridge, 
which  Lee  had  looked  at  with  some  anxiety  as  it  swayed  to 
and  fro,  lashed  by  the  current,  he  uttered  a  sigh  of  relief, 
and  a  great  weight  seemed  taken  from  his  shoulders.  Seeing 
his  fatigue  and  exhaustion,  General  Stuart  gave  him  some 
coffee ;  he  drank  it  with  avidity,  and  declared,  as  he  handed 
back  the  cup,  that  nothing  had  ever  refreshed  him  so  much. 
When  General  Meade,  who  is  said  to  have  resolved  on 
an  attack,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  his  officers,  looked, 
on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  toward  the  position  held  on  the 
previous  evening  by  the  Southern  army,  he  saw  that  the 
works  were  deserted.  The  Army  of  Northern  Virginia 
had  vanished  from  the  hills  on  which  it  had  been  posted, 
and  was  at  that  moment  crossing  the  Potomac.  Pressing 
on  its  track  toward  Falling  Waters,  the  Federal  cavalry 
came  up  with  the  rear,  and  in  the  skirmish  which  ensued 
fell  the  brave  Pettigrew,  who  had  supported  Pickett  in  the 
great  charge  at  Gettysburg,  where  he  had  waved  his  hat  in 
front  of  his  men,  and,  in  spite  of  a  painful  wound,  done  all 
in  his  power  to  rally  his  troops.  '  With  this  exception,  and 
a  few  captures  resulting  from  accident,  the  army  sustained 
no  losses.  The  movement  across  the  Potomac  had  been 
effected,  in  face  of  the  whole  Federal  army,  as  successfully 
as  though  that  army  had  been  a  hundred  miles  distant.* 

*  Upon  this  point  different  statements  were  subsequently  made  by  Generals 
Lee  and  Meade,  and  Lee's  reply  to  the  statements  of  his  opponent  is  here  given  : 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMT  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 
July  21,  1863.  ) 

General  S.  Cooper,  Adjutant  and  Inspector- General  C.  S.  A.,  Richmond,  Va.: 

GENERAL  :  I  have  seen  in  Northern  papers  what  purported  to  be  an  official 
dispatch  from  General  Meade,  stating  that  he  had  captured  a  brigade  of  infan- 


ACROSS  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  AGAIN.  335 

XXI. 

• 

ACROSS  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  AGAIN. 

LEE  moved  his  army  to  the  old  encampment  on  the 
banks  of  the  Opequan  which  it  had  occupied  after  the  re 
treat  from  Sharpsburg,  in  September,  1862,  and  here  a  few 
days  were  spent  in  resting. 

"We  have,  in  the  journal  of  a  foreign  officer,  an  outline 
of  Lee's  personal  appearance  at  this  time,  and,  as  we  are 

try,  two  pieces  of  artillery,  two  caissons,  and  a  large  number  of  small-arms,  as 
this  army  retired  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Potomac,  on  the  13th  and  14th  inst. 
This  dispatch  has  been  copied  into  the  Richmond  papers,  and,  as  its  official 
character  may  cause  it  to  be  believed,  I  desire  to  state  that  it  is  incorrect.  The 
enemy  did  not  capture  any  organized  body  of  men  on  that  occasion,  but  only 
stragglers,  and  such  as  were  left  asleep  on  the  road,  exhausted  by  the  fatigue 
and  exposure  of  one  of  the  most  inclement  nights  I  have  ever  known  at  this 
season  of  the  year.  It  rained  without  cessation,  rendering  the  road  by  which 
our  troops  marched  to  the  bridge  at  Falling  Waters  very  difficult  to  pass,  and 
causing  so  much  delay  that  the  last  of  the  troops  did  not  cross  the  river  at  the 
bridge  until  1  p.  M.  on  the  14th.  While  the  column  was  thus  detained  on  the 
road  a  number  of  men,  worn  down  by  fatigue,  lay  down  in  barns,  and  by  the 
roadside,  and  though  officers  were  sent  back  to  arouse  them,  as  the  troops 
moved  on,  the  darkness  and  rain  prevented  them  from  finding  all,  and  many 
were  in  this  way  left  behind.  Two  guns  were  left  on  the  road.  The  horses 
that  drew  them  became  exhausted,  and  the  officers  went  forward  to  procure 
others.  When  they  returned,  the  rear  of  the  column  had  passed  the  guns  so  far 
that  it  was  deemed  unsafe  to  send  back  for  them,  and  they  were  thus  lost.  No 
arms,  cannon,  or  prisoners,  were  taken  by  the  enemy  hi  battle,  but  only  such  as 
were  left  behind  under  the  circumstances  I  have  described.  The  number  of 
stragglers  thus  lost  I  am  unable  to  state  with  accuracy,  but  it  is  greatly  exag 
gerated  in  the  dispatch  referred  to. 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

R.  E.  LEE,   General. 

The  solicitude  here  exhibited  by  the  Southern  commander,  that  the  actual 
facts  should  be  recorded,  is  natural,  and  displayed  Lee's  spirit  of  soldiership. 
He  was  unwilling  that  his  old  army  should  appear  in  the  light  of  a  routed  col- 
umn,  retreating  in  disorder,  with  loss  of  men  and  munitions,  when  they  lost 
neither. 


336  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

not  diverted  from  these  characteristic  details  at  the  moment 
by  the  narrative  of  great  events,  this  account  of  Lee,  given 
by  the  officer  in  question — Colonel  Freemantle,  of  the  Brit 
ish  Army — is  laid  before  the  reader : 

"  General  Lee  is,  almost  without  exception,  the  handsomest  man  of 
his  age  I  ever  saw.  He  is  tall,  broad-shouldered,  very  well  made,  well 
set  up — a  thorough  soldier  in  appearance — and  his  manners  are  most 
courteous,  and  full  of  dignity.  He  is  a  perfect  gentleman  in  every  re 
spect.  I  imagine  no  man  has  so  few  enemies,  or  is  so  universally  es 
teemed.  Throughout  the  South,  all  agree  in  pronouncing  him  as  near 
perfection  as  man  can  be.  He  has  none  of  the  small  vices,  such  as 
smoking,  drinking,  chewing,  or  swearing;  and  his  bitterest  enemy 
never  accused  him  of  any  of  the  greater  ones.  He  generally  wears  a 
well-worn,  long  gray  jacket,  a  high  black-felt  hat,  and  blue  trousers, 
tucked  into  his  Wellington  boots.  I  never  saw  him  carry  arms,  and 
the  only  marks  of  his  military  rank  are  the  three  stars  on  his  collar. 
He  rides  a  handsome  horse,  which  is  extremely  well  governed.  He 
himself  is  very  neat  in  his  dress  and  person,  and  in  the  most  arduous 
marches  he  always  looks  smart  and  clean.  ...  It  is  understood  that 
General  Lee  is  a  religious  man,  though  not  so  demonstrative  in  that 
respect  as  Jackson,  and,  unlike  his  late  brother-in-arms,  he  is  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Church  of  England.  His  only  faults,  so  far  as  I  can  learn, 
arise  from  his  excessive  amiability." 

This  personal  description  is  entirely  correct,  except  that 
the  word  "jacket"  conveys  a  somewhat  erroneous  idea  of 
Lee's  undress  uniform  coat,  and  his  hat  was  generally  gray. 
Otherwise,  the  sketch  is  exactly  accurate,  and  is  here  pre 
sented  as  the  unprejudiced  description  and  estimate  of  a  for 
eign  gentleman,  who  had  no  inducement,  such  as  might  be 
attributed  to  a  Southern  writer,  to  overcolor  his  portrait. 
Such,  in  personal  appearance,  was  the  leader  of  the  Southern 
army — a  plain  soldier,  in  a  plain  dress,  without  arms,  with 


ACROSS  THE  BLUE  RIDGE  AGAIN.  337 

slight  indications  of  rank,  courteous,  full  of  dignity,  a  "per 
fect  gentleman,"  and  with  no  fault  save  an  "excessive  amia 
bility."  The  figure  is  attractive  to  the  eye — it  excited  the 
admiration  of  a  foreign  officer,  and  remains  in  many  memo 
ries  now,  when  the  sound  of  battle  is  hushed,  and  the  great 
leader,  in  turn,  has  finished  his  life-battle  and  lain  down  in 
peace. 

The  movements  of  the  two  armies  were  soon  resumed, 
and  we  shall  briefly  follow  those  movements,  which  led  the 
adversaries  back  to  the  Rappahannock. 

Lee  appears  to  have  conceived  the  design,  after  crossing 
the  Potomac  at  "Williamsport,  to  pass  the  Shenandoah  Eiver 
and  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  thus  place  himself  in  the  path  of 
General  Meade  if  he  crossed  east  of  the  mountain,  or  threat 
en  "Washington.  This  appears  from  his  own  statement. 
"  Owing,"  he  says,  "  to  the  swollen  condition  of  the  Shenan 
doah  River,  the  plan  of  operations  which  had  ~been  contem 
plated  when  we  recrossed  the  Potomac  could  not  le  put  in 
execution"  The  points  fixed  upon  by  Lee  for  passing  the 
mountain  were  probably  Snicker's  and  Ashby's  Gaps,  oppo 
site  Berryville  and  Millwood.  The  rains  had,  however, 
made  the  river,  in  these  places,  unfordable.  On  the  17th 
and  18th  days  of  July,  less  than  a  week  after  Lee's  crossing 
at  Williamsport,  GeneraLMe^0  pftflped  the  Pftfo™^ 
Leesburg,  and  Lee  movedjiis  army  in  thfi_directiojLo£ 

,  toward  Culpepper. 

The  newiiiOVententif  were  almost  identicaflythe  same  as 
the  old,  when  General  McClellan  advanced,  in  November, 
1862,  and  the  adoption  of  the  same  plans  by  General  Meade 
involves  a  high  compliment  to  his  predecessor.  He  acted 
with  even  more  energy.  As  Lee's  head  of  column  was  defil- 


338  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND   GETTYSBURG. 

ing  toward  Chester  Gap,  beyond  Front  Royal,  General 
Meade  struck  at  it  through  Manassas  Gap,  directly  on  its 
flank,  and  an  action  followed  which  promised  at  one  time  to 
become  serious.  The  enemy  was,  however,  repulsed,  and 
the  Southern,  column  continued  its  way  across  the  mountain. 
The  rest  of  the  army  followed,  and  dgficen^ed  jfl^Cnlpe 
per,  from  which  position,  when  Longstreet  was  detached  to 
kinff  post  behind  the 


General  Meade  thereupon  followed,  and  occupied-  Cul- 
pepper,  his  advance  being  about  half-way  between  Culpep- 
per  Court-House  and  the  river.  ""-» 

Such  was  the  position  of  the  two  armies  in  the  first  days 
of  October,  when  Lee,  weary,  it  seemed,  of  inactivity,  set 
out  to  flank  and  fight  his  adversary. 


PART  VII. 
LAST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR  1863. 


I. 

THE  CAVALEY  OF  LEE'S  AKMY. 

IN  a  work  of  the  present  description,  the  writer  lias  a 
choice  between  two  courses.  He  may  either  record  the 
events  of  the  war  in  all  quarters  of  the  country,  as  bearing 
more  or  less  upon  his  narrative,  or  may  confine  himself  to 
the  life  of  the  individual  who  is  the  immediate  subject  of 
his  volume.  Of  these  two  courses,  the  writer  prefers  the 
latter  for  many  reasons.  To  present  a  narrative  of  military 
transactions  in  all  portions  of  the  South  would  expand  this 
volume  to  undue  proportions ;  and  there  is  the  further  ob 
jection  that  these  occurrences  are  familiar  to  all.  It  might 
be  necessary,  in  writing  for  persons  ignorant  of  the  events 
of  the  great  conflict,  to  omit  nothing ;  but  this  ignorance 
does  not  probably  exist  in  the  case  of  the  readers  of  these 
pages ;  and  the  writer  will  continue,  as  heretofore,  to  con 
fine  himself  to  the  main  subject,  only  noting  incidentally 
such  prominent  events  in  other  quarters  as  affected  Lee's 
movements. 

One  such  event  was  the  fall  of  Yicksburg,  which  post 


340  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

surrendered  at  the  same  moment  with  the  defeat  at  Gettys 
burg,  rendering  thereafter  impossible  all  movements  of  in 
vasion  ;  and  another  was  the  advance  of  General  Rosecrans 
toward  Atlanta,  which  resulted,  in  the  month  of  September, 
in  a  Southern  victory  at  Chickamauga. 

The  immediate  effect  of  the  Federal  demonstration 
toward  Chattanooga  had  been  to  detach  Longstreet's  corps 
from  General  Lee's  army,  for  service  under  General  Bragg. 
General  Meade's  force  is  said  to  have  also  been  somewhat 
lessened  by  detachments  sent  to  enforce  the  draft  in  New 
York ;  and  these  circumstances  had,  in  the  first  days  of 
October,  reduced  both  armies  in  Virginia  to  a  less  force 
than  they  had  numbered  in  the  past  campaign.  General 
Meade,  however,  presented  a  bold  front  to  his  adversary, 
and,  with  his  headquarters  near  Culpepper  Court-House, 
kept  close  watch  upon  Lee,  whose  army  lay  along  the  south 
bank  of  the  Kapidan. 

For  some  weeks  no  military  movements  took  place,  and 
an  occasional  cavalry  skirmish  between  the  troopers  of  the 
two  armies  was  all  which  broke  the  monotony  of  the  au 
tumn  days.  This  inactivity,  however,  was  now  about  to 
terminate.  Lee  had  resolved  to  attempt  a  flank  movement^ 
around  General  Meade'g^rjght,  wii^h^the  view  of  bringing 
him  to  battle ;  "and  a  brief  campaign  ensued,  which,  if  in 
decisive,  and  reflecting  little  glory  upon  the  infantry,  was 
fruitful  in  romantic  incidents  and  highly  creditable  to  the 
cavalry  of  the  Southern  army. 

In  following  the  movements,  and  describing  the  opera 
tions  of  the  main  body  of  the  army — the  infantry — we  have 
necessarily  been  compelled  to  pass  over,  to  a  great  extent, 
the  services  of  the  cavalry  in  the  past  campaign.  These 


THE   CAVALRY  OF  LEE'S  ARMY. 

had,  nevertheless,  been  great — no  arm  of  the  service  had 
exhibited  greater  efficiency ;  and,  but  for  the  fact  that  in  all 
armies  the  brunt  of  battle  falls  upon  the  foot-soldiers,  it 
might  be  added  that  the  services  of  the  cavalry  had  been  as 
important  as  those  of  the  infantry.  Stuart  was  now  in  com- 
mandof  a  force  varying  from  fivejto_eight  thousand  sabresr 
and  among  his  troopers  were  some  of  the  best  fighting-men 
of  the  South.  The  cavalry  had  always  been  the  favorite 
arm  with  the  Southern  youth ;  it  had  drawn  to  itself,  as 
privates  in  the  ranks,  thousands  of  young  men  of  collegiate 
education,  great  wealth,  and  the  highest  social  position; 
and  this  force  was  officered,  in  Virginia,  by  such  resolute 
commanders  as  "Wade  Hampton,  Fitz  Lee,  "William  H.  F. 
Lee,  Eosser,  Jones,  "Wickham,  Young,  Munford,  and  many 
others.  Under  these  leaders,  and  assisted  by  the  hard- 
fighting  "  Stuart  Horse- Artillery  "  under  Pelham  and  his 
successors,  the  cavalry  had  borne  their  full  share  in  the 
hard  marches  and  combats  of  the  army.  On  the  Chicka- 
hominy ;  in  the  march  to  Manassas,  and  the  battles  in 
Maryland ;  in  the  operations  on  the  Rappahannock,  and  the 
incessant  fighting  of  the  campaign  to  Gettysburg,  Stuart 
and  his  troopers  had  vindicated  their  claim  to  the  first 
honors  of  arms ;  and,  if  these  services  were  not  duly  esti 
mated  by  the  infantry  of  the  army,  the  fact  was  mainly 
attributable  to  the  circumstance  that  the  fighting  of  the 
cavalry  had  been  done  at  a  distance  upon  the  outposts,  far 
more  than  in  the  pitched  battles,  where,  in  modern  times, 
from  the  improved  and  destructive  character  of  artillery, 
playing  havoc  with  horses,  the  cavalry  arm  can  achieve 
little,  and  is  not  risked.  The  actual  losses  in  Stuart's  com 
mand  left,  however,  no  doubt  of  the  obstinate  soldiership 


342  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR  1863. 

of  officers  and  men.  Since  the  opening  of  the  year  he  had 
lost  General  Hampton,  cut  down  in  a  hand-to-hand  sabre- 
fight  at  Gettysburg ;  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee,  shot  in  the 
fight  at  Fleetwood;  Colonels  Frank  Hampton  and  Wil 
liams,  killed  in  the  same  action ;  Colonel  Butler,  torn  by  a 
shell ;  Major  Pelham,  Chief  of  Artillery,  killed  while  lead 
ing  a  charge ;  *  about  six  officers  of  his  personal  staff  either 
killed,  wounded,  or  captured ;  and  in  the  Gettysburg  cam 
paign  he  had  lost  nearly  one-third  of  his  entire  command. 
Of  its  value  to  the  army,  the  infantry  might  have  their 
doubts,  but  General  Lee  had  none.  Stuart  and  his  horse 
men  had  been  the  eyes  and  ears  of  the  Army  of  ^Torth 
ern  Virginia ;  had  fought  incessantly  as  well  as  observed 
the  enemy ;  and  Lee  never  committed  the  injustice  of  un 
dervaluing  this  indispensable  arm,  which,  if  his  official 
commendation  of  its  operations  under  Stuart  is  to  be  be 
lieved,  was  only  second  in  importance  in  his  estimation  to 
the  infantry  itself. 

^he  army  continued,  neverthelesSjto  amuse  itself  at  Jthe 
expense  of  the  cavalrj^aml  ej^her  asserted_orjntimated,  on 
^yer^Javorable  occasion,  that  thereof  jighting  was  done  by 
,^hfiBM3elyes.This  flattering  assumption  might  be  natural 
under  the  circumstances,  but  it  was  now  about  to  be  shown 
to  be  wholly  unfounded.  A  campaign  was  at  hand  in 
which  the  cavalry  were  to  turn  the  tables  upon  their  jocose 
critics,  and  silence  them  ;  where  the  infantry  were  doomed 
to  failure  in  nearly  all  which  they  attempted,  and  the  troop- 


*  In  this  enumeration  the  writer  mentions  only  such  names  as  occur  at  the 
moment  to  his  memory.  A  careful  examination  of  the  records  of  the  cavalry 
would  probably  furnish  the  names  of  ten  times  as  many,  equally  brave  and  un 
fortunate. 


LEE  FLANKS  GENERAL  MEADE.          343 

era  were  to  do  the  greater  part  of  the  fighting  and  achieve 
the  only  successes. 

To  the  narrative  of  this  brief  and  romantic  episode  of 
the  war  we  now  proceed.  General  Lee's  aim  was  to  pass 
around  the  right  flank  of  his  adversary,  and  bring  him  to 
battle;  and,  although  the  promptness  of  General  Meade's 
movements  defeated  the  last-named  object  nearly  complete 
ly,  the  manoeuvres  of  the  two  armies  form  a  highly-inter 
esting  study.  The  eminent  soldiers  commanding  the  forces 
played  a  veritable  game  of  chess  with  each  other.  There 
was  little  hard  fighting,  but  more  scientific  manoeuvring 
than  is  generally  displayed  in  a  campaign.  The  brains  of 
Lee  and  Meade,  rather  than  the  two  armies,  were  matched 
against  each  other;  and  the  conflict  of  ideas  proved  more 
interesting  than  the  actual  fighting. 


II. 

LEE  FLANKS  GENERAL  MEADE. 

IN  prosecution  of  the  plan  determined  upon,  General 
Lee^on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  October,  crossed  the 
Rapidan  at  the  fords  above  Orange  Court-House,  with  the 
corps  of  Ewell  and  A.  P.  Hill,  and  directed  his  march  tow 
ard  Madison  Court-House. 

Stuart  moved  with  Hampton's  cavalry  division  on  the 
rightTofTlie  advancing  column — General  Mtz  Lee_JLavjng^ 
beenjeft  with  his  divisj[on^o_g3iard.jtlLe_J[ront  on  the  Rapi- 
dan— and  General  Imboden,  commanding  west  of  the  Blue 
Eidge,  was  ordered  by  Lee  to  "  advance  down  the  Yalley, 
and  guard  the  gaps  of  the  mountains  on  our  left." 


344:  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

We  have  said  that  Lee's  design  was  to  bring  General 
Meade  to  battle.  It  is  proper  to  state  this  distinctly,  as 
some  writers  have  attributed  to  him  in  the  campaign,  as  his 
real  object,  the  design  of  manoeuvring  his  adversary  out  of 
Culpepper,  and  pushing  him  back  to  the  Federal  frontier. 
His  own  words  are  perfectly  plain.  He  set  out  "with  the 
design,"  he  declares,  "  of  bringing  on  an  engagement  with 
the  Federal  army" — that  is  to  say,  tf.  fighting  General 
Meade,  not  simply  forcing  him  to  fall  back.  His  oppo 
nent,  it  seems,  was  not 'averse  to  accepting  battle;  indeed, 
from  expressions  attributed  to  him,  he  appears  to  have  ar 
dently  desired  it,  in  case  he  could  secure  an  advantageous 
position  for  receiving  the  Southern  attack,  It  is  desirable 
that  this  readiness  in  both  commanders  to  fight  should  be 
kept  in  view.  The  fact  adds  largely  to  the  interest  of  this 
brief  "  campaign  of  manoeuvres,"  in  which  the  army,  falling 
back,  like  that  advancing,  sought  battle. 

To  proceed  to  the  narrative,  which  will  deal  in  large 
measure  with  the  operations  of  the  cavalry — that  arm  of 
the  service,  as  we  have  said,  having  borne  the  chief  share 
of  the  fighting,  and  achieved  the  only  successes.  Stuart 
moved  out  on  the  right  of  the  infantry,  which  marched  di- 
rectly  toward  Madison  Court-House,  and  near  the  village^ 
of  James  City,  directly  west  of  Culpepper  Court-House,  drove  ___ 
injhe  casaJiz^nd  mtaiilry  qrrtgpsts  gf  General  '^al^atrick 
on  the  main  body  beyond  the  village.  Continuous  skir 
mishing  ensued  throughout  the  rest  of  the  day — Stuart's 
object  beingto  occupy  the  enemy,  and  divert  attention  from 
the  infantry  movement  in  his  rear.  In  this  he  seems  to 
have  fully  succeeded.  Lee  passed  Madison  Court-JbLoitte, 
and  moving,  as  he  says,  "by  circuitous  and  concealed 


LEE  FLANKS  GENERAL  MEADE.  345 

roads,"  reached  the  vicinity  of  Griffinsburg,  on  what  is 
called  the  Sperryville  Road,  nortEwest  of  Culpepper  Court- 
House.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  the  relative  posi 
tions  of  the  two  armies  at  this  moment.  General  Meade 
lay  around  Culpepper  Court-House,  with  his  advance  about 
half-way  between  that  place  and  the  Rapidan,  and  Lee  had 
attained  a  position  which  gave  him  fair  hopes  of  intercept 
ing  his  adversary's  retreat.  That  retreat  must  be  over  the 
line  of  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad;  but  from 
Griffinsburg  to  Manassas  was  no  farther  than  from  Culpepper 
Court-House  to  the  same  point.  If  the  Federal  army  fell 
back,  as  Lee  anticipated,  it  would  be  a  question  of  speed 
between  the  retreating  and  pursuing  columns ;  and,  as  the 
narrative  will  show,  the  race  was  close — a  few  hours  lost 
making  the  difference  between  success  and  failure  in  Lee's 
movement. 

On  the  morning jD^Jhe_  10th  while  the  infantry^  were 
still  near  Griffinsburg,  General  Stuart  moved  promptly 
down  upon  Culpepper  Court-House,  driving  the  enemy  from 
their  large  camps  near  Stonehouse  Mountain.  These  were 
elaborately  provided  with  luxuries  of  every  description,  and 
there  were  many  indications  of  the  fact  that  the  troops  had 
expected  to  winter  there.  No  serious  fighting  occurred. 
A  regiment  of  infantry  was  charged  and  dispersed  by  the 
Jefferson  Company  of  Captain  Baylor,  and  Stuart  then  pro- 
ceeded  rapidly  to  Culpepper  Court-House,  where  the  Federal 
cavalry,  forming  the  rear-guard  of  the  army,  awaited  him. 

General  Meade  was  already  moving  in  the  direction  of 
the  Eappahannock.  The  presence  of  the  Southern  army 
near  Griffinsburg  had  become  known  to  him ;  he  Was  at  no 
loss  to  understand  Lee's  object ;  and,  leaving  his  cavalry  to 


34:6  LAST   CAMPAIGNS   OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

cover  his  rear,  he  moved  toward  the  river.  As  Stuart  at 
tacked  the  Federal  horse  posted  on  the  hills  east  of  the  vil 
lage,  the  roar  of  cannon  on  his  right,  steadily  drawing  nearer, 
indicated  that  General  Fitz  Leo  was  forcing  the  enemy  in 
that  direction  to  fall  back.  Stuart  was  now  in  high  spirits, 
and  indulged  in  hearty  laughter,  although  the  enemy's  shells 
were  bursting  around  him. 

"  Ride  back  to  General  Lee,"  he  said  to  an  officer  of  his 
staff,  "  and  tell  him  we  are  forcing  the  enemy  back  on  the 
Rappahannock,  and  I  think  I  hear  Fitz  Lee's  guns  toward 
the  Rapidan." 

The  officer  obeyed,  and  found  General  Lee  at  his  head 
quarters,  which  consisted  of  one  or  two  tents,  with  a  battle- 
flag  set  up  in  front,  on  the  highway,  near  Griffinsburg.  He 
was  conversing  with  General  Ewell,  and  the  contrast  be 
tween  the  two  soldiers  was  striking.  Ewell  was  thin,  ca 
daverous,  and  supported  himself  upon  a  crutch,  for  he  had 
not  yet  recovered  from  the  wound  received  at  Manassas. 
General  Lee,  on  the  contrary,  was  erect,  ruddy,  robust,  and 
exhibited  indications  of  health  and  vigor  in  every  detail 
of  his  person.  When  Stuart's  message  was  delivered  to 
him,  he  bowed  with  that  grave  courtesy  which  he  exhibited 
alike  toward  the  highest  and  the  lowest  soldier  in  his  army, 
and  said :  "  Thank  you.  Tell  General  Stuart  to  continue 
to  press  them  back  toward  the  river." 

He  then  smiled,  and  added,  with  that  accent  of  sedate 
humor  which  at  times  characterized  him:  "But  tell  him, 
too,  to  spare  his  horses — to  spare  his  horses.  It  is  not  ne 
cessary  to  send  so  many  messages." 

He  turned  as  he  spoke  to  General  Ewell,  and,  pointing 
to  the  officer  who  had  come  from  Stuart,  and  another  who 


LEE  FLANKS  GENERAL  MEADE.          34.7 

had  arrived  just  before  him,  said,  with  lurking  humor :  "  I 
think  these  two  young  gentlemen  make  eight  messengers 
sentme  by  General  Stuart ! " 

He  then  said  to  Ewell :  "  You  may  as  well  move  on 
with  your  troops,  I  suppose,  general ;  "  and  soon  afterward 
the  infantry  began  to  advance. 

Stuart  was  meanwhile  engaged  in  an_obstinate  combat 
with  theTederal  cavalry  near  Brandy,  in  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity  of  Fleetwood  Hill,  the  scene  of  the  great  fight  in  June. 
The  stand  made  by  the  enemy  was  resolute,  but  the  arrival 
of_General  Fitz  Lee  decided  the  event.  That  officer  had 
crossed  the  Rapidan  and  driven  General  Buford  before  him. 
The  result  now  was  that,  while  Stuart  was  pressing  the  ene 
my  in  his  front,  General  Buford  came  down  on  Stuart's  rear, 
and  Fitz  Lee  on  the  rear  ol  JJufbrd.  The  scene  which  en 
sued  was  a  grand  commingling  of  the  tragic  and  serio-comic. 
Every  thing  was  mingled  in  wild  confusion,  but  the  day  re- 
mained  with  the  Southern  cavalry,  who,  at  nightfall,  had 
pressed  their  opponents  back  toward  the  river,  which  the 
Federal  army  crossed  that  night,  blowing  up  the  railroad 
bridge  behind  them. 

Such  was  the  first  act  of  the  bustling  drama.     At  the 
approach  of  Lee,  General  Meade  had  vanished  from  Culpep- 
per^and  so  well  arranged  was  the  whole  movement,  in  spite 
of  its  rapidity,  that  scarce  an  empty  box  was  left  behind. 
Lee's  aim  to  bring  his  adversary  to  battle  south  of  the  Eap- 
pahannock  had  thus  failed ;  but  the  attempt  was  renewed 
by  a  continuation  of  the  flanking  movement  towardrWar^ 
renton  Springs,  "  with  the  design,"  Lee  says,  "  of  reaching" 
the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Eailroad,  north  of  the  river,  and 
interrupting  the  retreat  of  the  enemy."      Unfortunately, 


84:8  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

however,  for  this  project,  which  required  of  all  things  ra 
pidity  of  movement,  it  was  found  necessary  to  remain  nearly 
all  day  on  the  llth  near  Culpepper  Court-House,  to  supply 
the  army  with  provisions.  It  was  not  until  the  12th  that 
the  army  again  moved.  Stuart  preceded  it,  and  after  a 
brisk  skirmish  drove  the  enemy  from  Warrenton  Springs — 
advancing  in  personin_Jrontof  his  column  as  it  charged 
through  the_river_and  up  the  hill  beyjyrid,  where^ consider- 
able  body  j)f^Federal  marksmen  were  put  to  flight.  The 
cavalry  then  pressed  on  toward  "Warrenton,  anoTtEeTnlanTry, 
who  had  witnessed  thelFprowess  and  cheered  them  heartily, 
followed  on  the  same  road.  The  race  between  Lee  and  Gen 
eral  Meade  was  in  full  progress. 

It  was  destined  to  become  complicated,  and  an  error  com 
mitted  by  General  Meade  came  very  near  exposing  him  to  se 
rious  danger.  It  appears  that,  after  retreating  across  the 
Kappahannock,  the  Federal  commander  began  to  entertain 
doubt  whether  the  movement  had  not  been  hasty,  and  would 
not  justly  subject  him  to  the  charge  of  yielding  to  sudden 
panic.  Influenced  apparently  by  this  sentiment,  he  now  or 
dered  three  corps  of  the  Federal  army,  with  a  division  of  cav 
alry,  back  to  Culpepper ;  and  this,  the  main  body,  accord 
ingly  crossed  back,  leaving  but  one  corps  north  of  the  river. 
Such  was  now  the  very  peculiar  situation  of  the  two  armies. 
General  Lee  was  moving  steadily  in  the  direction  of  "Warren- 
ton  to  cut  off  his  adversary  from  Manassas,  and  that  adver 
sary  was  moving  back  into  Culpepper  to  hunt  up  Lee  there. 
The  comedy  of  errors  was  soon  terminated,  but  not  so  soon 
as  it  otherwise  would  have  been  but  for  a  ruse  de  guerre 
played  by  Generals  Rosser  and  Young.  General  Kosser 
had  been  left  by  Stuart  near  Brandy,  with  about  two  hun- 


LEE  FLANKS  GENERAL  MEADE.  349 

dred  horsemen  and  one  gun ;  and,  when  the  three  infantry 
corps  and  the  cavalry  division  of  General  Meade  moved  for 
ward  from  the  river,  they  encountered  this  obstacle.  Insig 
nificant  as  was  his  force,  General  Eosser  so  manoeuvred  it  as 
to  produce  the  impression  that  it  was  considerable;  and, 
though  forced,  of  course,  to  fall  back,  he  did  so  fighting  at 
every  step.  Assistance  reached  him  just  at  dusk  in  the 
shape  of  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  from  above  the  court-house 
under  General  Young,  the  same  ofiicer  whose  charge  at  the 
Fleetwood  fight  had  had  so  important  a  bearing  upon  the 
result  there.  Young  now  formed  line  with  his  men  dis 
mounted,  and,  advancing  with  a  confident  air,  opened  fire 
upon  the  Federal  army.  The  darkness  proved  friendly,  and, 
taking  advantage  of  it,  General  Young  kindled  fires  along  a 
front  of  more  than  a  mile,  ordered  his  band  to  play,  and 
must  have  caused  the  enemy  to  doubt  whether  Lee  was  not 
still  in  large  force  near  Culpepper  Court-House.  They  ac 
cordingly  went  into  camp  to  await  the  return  of  daylight, 
when  at  midnight  a  fast-riding  courier  came  with  orders 
from  General  Meade. 

These  orders  were  urgent,  and  directed  the  Federal 
troops  to  recross  the  river  with  all  haste.  General  Lee,  it 
was  now  ascertained,  had  left  an  insignificant  force  in  Cul 
pepper,  and,  with  nearly  his  whole  army,  was  moving  rap 
idly  toward  "Warrenton  to  cut  off  his  adversary. 


24 


£50  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR  1863. 

III. 

A    RACE    BETWEEN    TWO    ARMIES. 

THE  game  of  liide-and-seek — to  change  the  figure — was 
now  in  full  progress,  and  nothing  more  dramatic  could  be 
conceived  of  than  the  relative  positions  of  the  two  armies. 

At  midnight,  on  Monday,  October  12th,  Lee's  army  was 
near  Warrenton  Springs,  ready  to  advance  in  the  morning 
upon  "Warrenton,  while  three  of  the  four  corps  under  Gen 
eral  Meade  were  half-way  between  the  Rappahannock  and 
Culpepper  Court-House,  expecting  battle  there.  Thus  a 
choice  of  two  courses  was  presented  to  the  Federal  com 
mander  :  to  order  back  his  main  force,  and  rapidly  retreat 
toward  Manassas,  or  move  the  Fourth  Corps  to  support  it, 
and  place  his  whole  army  directly  in  Lee's  rear.  The  occa 
sion  demanded  instant  decision.  Every  hour  now  counted. 
But,  unfortunately  for  General  Meade,  he  was  still  in  the 
dark  as  to  the  actual  amount  of  Lee's  force  in  Culpepper. 
The  movement  toward  Warrenton  might  be  a  mere  ruse. 
The  great  master  of  the  art  of  war  to  whom  he  was  opposed 
might  have  laid  this  trap  for  him — have  counted  upon  his 
falling  into  the  snare — and,  while  a  portion  of  the  Southern 
force  was  engaged  in  Culpepper,  might  design  an  attack 
with  the  rest  upon  the  Federal  right  flank  or  rear.  In  fact, 
the  situation  of  affairs  was  so  anomalous  and  puzzling  that 
Lee  might  design  almost  any  thing,  and  succeed  in  crushing 
his  adversary. 

The  real  state  of  the  case  was,  that  Lee  designed  nothing 
of  this  description,  having  had  no  intimation  whatever  of 
General  Meade's  new  movement  back  toward  Culpepper. 


A  RACE  BETWEEN  TWO  ARMIES.  351 

He  was  advancing  toward  TVarrenton,  under  the  impression 
that  his  adversary  was  retreating,  and  aimed  to  come  up 
with  him  somewhere  near  that  place  and  bring  him  to  bat 
tle.  Upon  this  theory  his  opponent  now  acted  by  promptly 
ordering  back  his  three  corps  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Eap- 
pahannock.  They  began  to  march  soon  after  midnight ; 
recrossed  the  river  near  the  railroad ;  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  13th  hastened  forward  by  rapid  marches  to  pass  the 
dangerous  point  near  Warrenton,  toward  which  Lee  was 
also  moving  with  his  infantry. 

In  this  race  every  advantage  seemed  to  be  on  the  side 
of  Lee.  The  thrfte  Federal  corps  had  fully  twice  as  far  to 
march  as  the  Southern  forces.  Lee  was  concentrating  near 
"Warrenton,  while  they  were  far  in  the  rear;  and,  if  the 
Confederates  moved  with  only  half  the  rapidity  of  their  ad 
versaries,  they  were  certain  to  intercept  them,  and  compel 
them  either  to  surrender  or  cut  their  way  through. 

These  comments — tedious,  perhaps — are  necessary  to  the 
comprehension  of  the  singular  "  situation."  "We  proceed 
now  with  the  narrative.  Sjuart  had  pushed  on  past  "War-^ 
renton  with  his  cavalry,  toward  the  Orange  Eailroad,  when, 
on  the  night  of  the  13th,  he  met  with  one  of  those  adven- 
tures  which  were  thickly  strewed  throughout  his  romantic 
career.  He  was  near  Auburn,  just  at  nightfall,  when,  as 
his  rear-guard  closed  up,  information  reached  him  from  that 
quarter  that  the  Federal  army  was  passing  directly  in  his 
rear.  Nearly  at  the  same  moment  intelligence  arrived  that 
another  column  of  the  enemy,  consisting,  like  the  first,  of 
infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery,  was  moving  across  his  front. 

Stuart  was  now  in  an  actual  trap,  and  his  situation  was 
perilous  in  the  extreme.     He  was  enclosed  between  two 


352  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

•> 

moving  walls  of  enemies,  and,  if  discovered,  his  fate  seemed 
sealed.  But  one  course  was  left  him  :  to  preserve,  if  possi 
ble,  complete  silence  in  his  command ;  to  lie  perdu  in  the 
wood,  and  await  the  occurrence  of  some  fortunate  event  to 
extricate  him  from  his  highly-embarrassing  situation.  He 
accordingly  issued  stringent  orders  to  the  men  that  no  noise 
of  any  description  should  be  made,  and  not  a  word  be  ut 
tered  ;  and  there  was  little  necessity  to  repeat  this  com 
mand.  The  troopers  remained  silent  and  motionless  in  the 
saddle  throughout  the  night,  ready  at  any  instant  to  move 
at  the  order  ;  and  thus  passed  the  long  hours  of  darkness — 
the  Southern  horsemen  as  silent  as  phantoms ;  the  Federal 
columns  passing  rapidly,  with  the  roll  of  artillery- wheels, 
the  tramp  of  cavalry-horses,  and  the  shuffling  sound  of  feet, 
on  both  sides  of  the  command — the  column  moving  in  rear 
of  Stuart  being  distant  but  two  or  three  hundred  yards. 

This  romantic  incident  was  destined  to  terminate  fortu 
nately  for  Stuart,  who,  having  dispatched  scouts  to  steal 
through  the  Federal  column,  and  announce  his  situation  to 
General  Lee,  prepared  to  seize  upon  the  first  opportunity  to 
release  his  command  from  its  imminent  peril.  The  oppor 
tunity  came  at  dawn.  The  Federal  rear,  under  General 
Caldwell,  had  bivouacked  near,  and  had  just  kindled  fires 
to  cook  their  breakfast,  when,  from  the  valley  beneath  the 
hill  on  which  the  troops  had  halted,  Stuart  opened  suddenly 
upon  them  with  his  Horse- Artillery,  and,  as  he  says  in  his 
report,  knocked  over  coffee-pots  and  other  utensils  at  the 
moment  when  the  men  least  expected  it.  He  then  ad 
vanced  his  sharp-shooters  and  directed  a  rapid  fire  upon  the 
disordered  troops  ;  and,  under  cover  of  this  fire,  wheeled  to 
\  the  left  and  emerged  safely  toward  Warrenton.  The  army 


v 


A  RACE  BETWEEN  TWO  ARMIES.  353 

greeted  him  with  cheers,  and  he  was  himself  in  the  highest 
spirits.  He  had  certainly  good  reason  for  this  joy,  for  he 
had  just  grazed  destruction. 

As  Stuart's  artillery  opened,  the  sound  was  taken  up 
toward  "Warren ton,  where  Ewell,  in  obedience  to  Lee's  or 
ders,  had  attacked  the  Federal  column.  Nothing  resulted, 
however,  from  this  assault :  General  Meade  had  concen 
trated  his  army,  and  was  hastening  toward  Manassas.  All 
now  depended  again  upon  the  celerity  of  Lee's  movements 
in  pursuit.  He  had  lost  many  hours  at  Warrenton,  where 
"  another  halt  was  made,"  he  says,  "  to  supply  the  troops 
with  provisions."  Thus,  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  he 
was  as  far  from  intercepting  General  Meade  as  before  ;  and 
all  now  depended  upon  the  movements  of  Hill,  who,  while 
Ewell  moved  toward  Greenwich,  had  been  sent  by  way  of 
New  Baltimore  to  come  in  on  the  Federal  line  of  retreat  at 
Bristoe  Station,  near  Manassas.  In  spite,  however,  of  his 
excellent  soldiership  and  habitual  promptness,  Hill  did  not 
arrive  in  time.  He  made  the  detour  prescribed  by  Lee, 
passed  New  Baltimore,  and  hastened  on  toward  Bristoe, 
where,  on  approaching  that  point,  he  found  only  the  rear 
guard  of  the  Federal  army — the  whole  force,  with  this  ex 
ception,  having  crossed  Broad  Hun,  and  listened  on  toward 
Manassas.  Hill's  arrival  had  ihus  been  tardy :  it  would 
have  been  fortunate  for  him  if  he  had  not  arrived  at  all. 
Seeing  the  Federal  column  under  General  Warren  hasten 
ing  along  the  railroad  to  pass  Br^^pHurtj&he  ordered  a 
prompt  attack,  and  Cooke's  brigade  -led  the  charge.  The 
result  was  unfortunate  for  the  Confederates.  General  "War 
ren,  seeing  his  peril,  had  promptly  disposed  his  line  behind 
the  railroad  embankment  at  the  spot,  where,  protected  "by 


354  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

this  impromptu  breastwork,  the  men  rested  their  guns  upon 
the  iron  rails  and  poured  a  destructive  fire  upon  the  South 
erners  rushing  down  the  open  slope  in  front.  By  this  fire 
General  Cooke  was  severely  wounded  and  fell,  and  his  bri 
gade  lost  a  considerable  part  of  its  numbers.  Before  a  new 
attack  could  be  made,  General  Warren  hastily  withdrew, 
carrying  off  with  him  in  triumph  a  number  of  prisoners, 
and  five  pieces  of  artillery,  captured  on  the  banks  of  the 
run.  Before  his  retreat  could  be  again  interrupted,  he  was 
safe  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,  and  lost  no  time  in 
hurrying  forward  to  join  the  main  body,  which  was  retreat 
ing  on  Centreville. 

General  Meade  had  thus  completely  foiled  his  adversary. 
Lee  had  set  out  with  the  intention  of  bringing  the  Federal 
commander  to  battle ;  had  not  succeeded  in  doing  so,  owing 
to  the  rapidity  of  his  retreat ;  had  come  up  only  with  his 
rear-guard,  under  circumstances  which  seemed  to  seal  the 
fate  of  that  detached  force,  and  the  small  rear-guard  had 
repulsed  him  completely,  capturing  prisoners  and  artillery 
from  him,  and  retiring  in  triumph.  Such  had  been  the  issue 
of  the  campaign ;  all  the  success  had  been  on  the  side  of 
General  Meade.  He  is  said  to  have  declared  that  "  it  was 
like  pulling  out  his  eye-teeth  not  to  have  had  a  fight ;  "  but 
something  resembling  lona-fide  fighting  had  occurred  on 
the  banks  of  Broad  Kun,  and  the  victory  was  clearly  on 
the  side  of  the  Federal  troops. 

To  turn  to  General  Lee,  it  would  be  an  interesting  ques 
tion  to  discuss  whether  he  really  desired  to  intercept  General 
Meade,  if  there  were  any  data  upon  which  to  base  a  decision. 
The  writer  hazards  the  observation  that  it  seems  doubtful 
whether  this  was  Lee's  intention.  He  had  a  high  opinion 


THE  FIGHT  AT  BUCKLAND.  355 

of  General  Meade,  and  is  said  to  have  declared  of  that  com 
mander,  that  he  "  gave  him  "  (Lee)  "  as  much  trouble  as  any 
of  them."  Lee  was  thus  opposed  to  a  soldier  whose  ability  he 
respected,  and  it  appears  doubtful  whether  he  desired  to  move 
so  rapidly  as  to  expose  his  own  communications  to  interrup 
tion  by  his  adversary.  This  view  seems  to  derive  support 
from  the  apparently  unnecessary  delays  at  Culpepper  Court- 
House  and  Warrenton.  There  was  certainly  no  good  rea 
son  why,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  an  army  so  accus 
tomed  to  rapid  marches  as  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia 
should  not  have  been  able  to  reach  Warrenton  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Culpepper  Court-House  in  less  than  four 
days.  "  We  were  compelled  to  halt,"  Lee  writes  of  the  de 
lay  at  Culpepper  ;  but  of  that  at  Warrenton  he  simply  says, 
"  Another  halt  was  made."  Whether  these  views  have,  or 
have  not  foundation,  the  reader  must  judge.  We  shall  aim, 
in  a  few  pages,  to  conclude  our  account  of  this  interesting 
campaign. 


IT. 

THE    FIGHT    AT    BUCKLAND. 

LEE  rode  forward  to  the  field  upon  which  General  Hill 
had  sustained  his  bloody  repulse,  and  Hill — depressed  and 
mortified  at  the  mishap — endeavored  to  explain  the  contre 
temps  and  vindicate  himself  from  censure.  Lee  is  said  to 
have  listened  in  silence,  as  they  rode  among  the  dead  bodies, 
and  to  have  at  length  replied,  gravely  and  sadly :  "  Well, 
well,  general,  bury  these  poor  men,  and  let  us  say  no  more 
about  it." 


356  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

He  had  issued  orders  that  the  troops  should  cease  the 
pursuit,  and  riding  on  the  next  morning,  with  General  Stu^ 
art,  to  the  summit  of  a  hill  overlooking  Broad  Run,  dis 
mounted,  and  held  a  brief  conversation  with  the  commander 
of  his  cavalry,  looking  intently,  as  he  spoke,  in  the  direction 
of  Manassas.  His  demeanor  was  that  of  a  person  who  is  far 
from  pleased  with  the  course  of  events,  and  the  word  glum 
best  describes  his  expression.  The  safe  retreat  of  General 
Meade,  with  the  heavy  blow  struck  by  him  in  retiring,  was 
indeed  enough  to  account  for  this  ill-humor.  The  campaign 
was  altogether  a  failure,  since  General  Meade's  position  at 
Centreville  was  unassailable;  and,  if  he  were  only  driven 
therefrom,  he  had  but  to  retire  to  the  defences  at  "Washing 
ton.  Lee  accordingly  gave  Stuart  directions  to  follow  up 
the  enemy  in  the  direction  of  Centreville,  and,  ordering  the 
Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad  to  be  torn  up  back  to  the 
Rappahannock,  put  his  infantry  in  motion,  and  marched 
back  toward  Culpepper. 

"We  shall  now  briefly  follow  the  movements  of  the  caval 
ry.  Stuart  advanced  to  Manassas,  following  up  the  Federal 
rear,  and  hastening  their  retreat  across  Bull  Run  beyond. 
He  then  left  Fitz  Lee's  division  near  Manassas  in  the  Fed 
eral  front,  and  moving,  with  Hampton's  division,  to  the  left 
toward  Groveton,  passed  the  Little  Catharpin,  proceeded 
thence  through  the  beautiful  autumn  forest  toward  Frying 
Pan,  and  there  found  and  attacked,  with  his  command  dis 
mounted  and  acting  as  sharp-shooters,  the  Second  Corps  of 
the  Federal  army.  This  sudden  appearance  of  Southern 
troops  on  the  flank  of  Centreville,  is  said  to  have  caused 
great  excitement  there,  as  it  was  not  known  that  the  force 
was  not  General  Lee's  army.  The  fact  was  soon  apparent, 


THE  FIGHT  AT  BUCKLAND.  357 

however,  that  it  was  merely  a  cavalry  attack.  The  Federal 
infantry  advanced,  whereupon  Stuart^  retired ;  and  the  ad 
venturous  Southern  horsemen  moved  back  in  the  direction 
of  Warrenton. 

They  were  not  to  rejoin  Lee's  army,  however,  before  a 
final  conflict  with  the  Federal  cavalry;  and  the  circum 
stances  of  this  conflict  were  as  dramatic  and  picturesque  as 
the  ruse  de  guerre  of  Young  in  Culpepper,  and  the  midnight 
adventure  of  Stuart  near  Auburn.  The  bold  assault  on  the 
Second  Corps  seemed  to  have  excited  the  ire  of  the  Federal 
commander,  and  he  promptly  sent  forward  a  considerable 
body  of  his  cavalry,  under  General  Kilpatrick,  to  pursue 
gtuart,  and  if  possible  come  up  with  and  defeat  him. 

Stuart  was  near  the  village  of  Buckland,  on  the  road  to 
Warrenton,  when  intelligence  of  the  approach  of  the  Fed 
eral  cavalry  reached  him.  The  movement  which  followed 
was  suggested  by  General  Fitz  Lee.  He  proposed  that  Stu 
art  should  retire  toward  Warrenton  with  Hampton's  divis 
ion,  while  he,  with  his  own  division,  remained  on  the  ene 
my's  left  flank.  Then,  at  a  given  signal,  Stuart  was  to  face 
about ;  he,  General  Fitz  Lee,  would  attack  them  in  flank ; 
when  their  rout  would  probably  ensue.  This  plan  was  car 
ried  out  to  the  letter.  General  Kilpatrick,  who  seems  to 
have  been  confident  of  his  ability  to  drive  Stuart  before  him, 
pressed  forward  on  the  Warrenton  road,  closely  following 
up  his  adversary,  when  the  sudden  boom  of  artillery  from 
General  Fitz  Lee  gave  the  signal.  Stuart  wheeled  at  the 
signal,  and  made  a  headlong  charge  upon  his  pursuers.  Fitz 
Lee  came  in  at  the  same  moment  and  attacked  them  in 
flank ;  and  the  result  was  that  General  Kilpatrick's  entire 
command  was  routed,  and  retreated  in  confusion,  Stuart  pur- 


358  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

suing,  as  he  wrote,  "  from  within  three  miles  of  Warrenton  to 
Buckland,  the  horses  at  full  speed  the  whole  distance."  So 
terminated  an  incident  afterward  known  among  the  troopers 
of  Stuart  by  the  jocose  title  of  "  The  Buckland  Races,"  and 
the  Southern  cavalry  retired  without  further  molestation 
behind  the  Rappahannock. 

The  cooperation  of  General  Imboden  in  the  campaign 
should  not  be  passed  over.  That  officer,  whose  special  duty 
had  been  to  guard  the  gaps  in  the  Blue  Ridge,  advanced 
from  Berryville  to  Charlestown,  attacked  the  Federal  garri 
son  at  the  latter  place,  drove  them  in  disorder  toward  Harp 
er's  Ferry,  and  carried  back  with  him  four  or  five  hundred 
prisoners.  The  enemy  followed  him  closely,  and  he  was 
forced  to  fight  them  off  at  every  step.  He  succeeded,  how 
ever,  in  returning  in  safety,  having  performed  more  than  the 
duty  expected  of  him. 

Lee  was  now  behind  the  Rappahannock,  and  it  remained 
to  be  seen  what  course  General  Meade  would  pursue — 
whether  he  would  remain  near  Centre ville,  or  strive  to  re 
gain  his  lost  ground. 

All  doubt  was  soon  terminated  by  the  approach  of  the 
Federal  army,  which,  marching  from  Centreville  on  October 
19th,  and  repairing  the  railroad  as  it  advanced,  reached  the 
Rappahannock  on  the  7th  of  November.  Lee's  army  at  this 
time  was  in  camp  toward  Culpepper  Court-House,  with  ad 
vanced  forces  in  front  of  Kelly's  Ford  and  the  railroad 
bridge.  General  Meade  acted  with  vigor.  On  his  arrival 
he  promptly  sent  a  force  across  at  Kelly's  Ford ;  the  South 
ern  troops  occupying  the  rifle-pits  there  were  driven  off, 
with  the  loss  of  many  prisoners ;  and  an  attack  near  the 
railroad  bridge  had  still  more  unfortunate  results  for  Gen- 


THE  ADVANCE  TO  MINE  RUN.  359 

eral  Lee.  A  portion  of  Early 's  division  had  been  posted  in 
the  abandoned  Federal  works,  on  the  north  bank  at  this 
point,  and  these  were  now  attacked,  and,  after  a  fierce  re 
sistance,  completely  routed.  Nearly  the  whole  command 
was  captured— the  remnant  barely  escaping — and,  the  way 
having  thus  been  cleared,  General  Meade  threw  his  army 
across  into  Culpepper. 

General  Lee  retired  before  him  with  a  heavy  heart  and 
a  deep  melancholy,  which,  in  spite  of  his  great  control  over 
himself,  was  visible  in  his  countenance.  The  infantry- 
fighting  of  the  campaign  had  begun,  and  ended  in  disaster 
for  him.  In  the  thirty  days  he  had  lost  at  least  two  thou 
sand  men,  and  was  back  again  in  his  old  camps,  having 
achieved  absolutely  nothing. 


y. 

THE    ADVANCE    TO    MINE    BUN. 

NOVEMBER  of  the  bloody  year  1863  had  come;  and  it 
seemed  not  unreasonable  to  anticipate  that  a  twelvemonth, 
marked  by  such  incessant  fighting  at  Chancellorsville,  Fred- 
ericksburg,  Salem  Church,  Winchester,  Gettysburg,  Front 
Royal,  Bristoe,  and  along  the  Rappahannock,  would  now 
terminate  in  peace,  permitting  the  combatants  on  both 
sides,  worn  out  by  their  arduous  work,  to  go  into  winter- 
quarters,  and  recuperate  their  energies  for  the  operation* 
of  the  ensuing  spring. 

But  General  Meade  had  otherwise  determined.  He  had 
resolved  to  try  a  last  advance,  in  spite  of  the  inclement 
weather ;  and  Lee's  anticipations  of  a  season  of  rest  and  re- 


360  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR  1863. 

freshment  for  his  troops,  undisturbed  by  hostile  demonstra 
tions  on  the  part  of  the  enemy,  were  destined  speedily  to  be 
disappointed.  The  Southern  army  had  gone  regularly  into 
winter-quarters,  south  of  the  Rapidan,  and  the  men  were 
felicitating  themselves  upon  the  prospect  of  an  uninterrupt 
ed  season  of  leisure  and  enjoyment  in  their  rude  cabins, 
built  in  sheltered  nooks,  or  under  their  breadths  of  canvas 
raised  upon  logs,  and  fitted  with  rough  but  comfortable 
chimneys,  built  of  notched  pine-saplings,  when  suddenly 
intelligence  was  brought  by  scouts  that  the  Federal  army 
was  in  motion.  The  fact  reversed  all  their  hopes  of  rest, 
and  song,  and  laughter,  by  the  good  log-fires.  The  musket 
was  taken  from  its  place  on  the  rude  walls,  the  cartridge-box 
assumed,  and  the  army  was  once  more  ready  for  battle — as 
gay,  hopeful,  and  resolved,  as  in  the  first  days  of  spring. 

General  Meade  had,  indeed,  resolved  that  the  year  should 
not  end  without  another  blow  at  his  adversary,  and  the  brief 
campaign,  known  as  the  "  Advance  to  Mine  Hun,"  followed. 
It  was  the  least  favorable  of  all  seasons  for  active  operations ; 
but  the  Federal  commander  is  vindicated  from  the  charge 
of  bad  soldiership  by  two  circumstances  which  very  properly 
had  great  weight  with  him.  The  first  was,  the  extreme  im 
patience  of  the  Northern  authorities  and  people  at  the  small 
results  of  the  bloody  fighting  of  the  year.  Gettysburg  had 
seemed  to  them  a  complete  defeat  of  Lee,  since  he  had  re 
treated  thereafter  without  loss  of  time  to  Virginia ;  and  yet 
three  months  afterward  the  defeated  commander  had  ad 
vanced  upon  and  forced  back  his  victorious  adversary. 
That  such  should  be  the  result  of  the  year's  campaigning 
seemed  absurd  to  the  North.  A  clamorous  appeal  was 
made  to  the  authorities  to  order  another  advance ;  and  this 


THE  ADVANCE  TO  MINE  RUN.  361 

general  sentiment  is  said  to  have  been  shared  by  General 
Meade,  who  had  declared  himself  bitterly  disappointed  at 
missing  a  battle  with  Lee  in  October.  A  stronger  argu 
ment  in  favor  of  active  operations  lay  in  the  situation,  at 
the  moment,  of  the  Southern  army.  Lee,  anticipating  no 
further  fighting  during  the  remainder  of  the  year,  opposed 
the  enemy  on  the  Kapidan  with  only  one  of  his  two  corps— 
that  of  Ewell ;  while  the  other — that  of  Hill — was  thrown 
back,  in  detached  divisions,  at  various  points  on  the  Orange 
and  the  Virginia  Central  Railroads,  for  the  purpose  of  sub 
sistence  during  the  winter.  This  fact,  becoming  known  to 
General  Meade,  dictated,  it  is  said,  his  plan  of  operations. 
An  advance  seemed  to  promise,  from  the  position  of  the 
Southern  forces,  a  decisive  success.  Swell's  right  extended 
no  farther  than  Morton's  Ford,  on  the  Rapidan,  and  thus 
the  various  fords  down  to  Chancellorsville  were  open.  If 
General  Meade  could  cross  suddenly,  and  by  a  rapid  march 
interpose  between  Ewell  and  the  scattered  divisions  of  Hill 
far  in  rear,  it  appeared  not  unreasonable  to  conclude  that 
Lee's  army  would  be  completely  disrupted,  and  that  the 
two  corps,  one  after  another,  might  be  crushed  by  the  Fed 
eral  army. 

This  plan,  which  is  given  on  the  authority  of  Northern 
writers,  exhibited  good  soldiership,  and,  if  Lee  were  to  be 
caught  unawares,  promised  to  succeed.  "Without  further  com 
ment  we  shall  now  proceed  to  the  narrative  of  this  brief 
movement,  which,  indecisive  as  it  was  in  its  results,  was  not 
uninteresting,  and  may  prove  as  attractive  to  the  military 
student  as  other  operations  more  imposing  and  accompa 
nied  by  bloodier  fighting. 

General  Meade  began  to  move  toward  the  Rapidan  on 


362  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR  1863. 

November  26th,  and  every  exertion  was  made  by  him  to 
advance  with  such  secrecy  and  rapidity  as  to  give  him  the 
advantage  of  a  surprise.  In  this,  however,  he  was  disap 
pointed.  No  sooner  had  his  orders  been  issued,  and  the 
correspondent  movements  begun,  than  the  accomplished 
scouts  of  Stuart  hurried  across  the  Rapidan  with  the  intel 
ligence.  Stuart,  whose  headquarters  were  in  a  hollow  of 
the  hills  near  Orange,  and  not  far  from  General  Lee's, 
promptly  communicated  in  person  to  the  commander-in- 
chief  this  important  information,  and  Lee  dispatched  imme 
diately  an  order  to  General  A.  P.  Hill,  in  rear,  to  march 
at  once  and  form  a  junction  with  Ewell  in  the  vicinity  of 
Yerdierville.  The  latter  officer  was  directed  to  retire  from 
his  advanced  position  upon  the  Rapidan,  which  exposed 
him  to  an  attack  on  his  right  flank  and  rear,  and  to  fall 
back  and  take  post  behind  the  small  stream  called  Mine 
Bun. 

In  following  with  a  critical  eye  the  operations  of  Gen 
eral  Lee,  the  military  student  must  be  struck  particularly 
by  one  circumstance,  that  in  all  his  movements  he  seemed  to 
proceed  less  according  to  the  nice  technicalities  of  the  art 
of  war,  than  in  accordance  with  the  dictates  of  a  broad  and 
comprehensive  good  sense.  It  may  be  said  that,  in  choosing 
position,  he  always  chose  the  right  and  never  the  wrong 
one ;  and  the  choice  of  Mine  Run  now  as  a  defensive  line 
was  a  proof  of  this.  The  run  is  a  small  water-course 
which,  rising  south  of  the  great  highway  between  Orange 
and  Chancellorsville,  flows  due  northward  amid  woods  and 
between  hills  to  the  Rapidan,  into  which  it  empties  itself  a 
few  miles  above  Germ  anna,  General  Meade's  main  place  of 
crossing.  This  stream  is  the  natural  defence  of  the  right 


THE  ADVANCE   TO   MINE   RUN.  363 

flank  of  an  army  posted  between  Orange  and  the  Rapidan. 
It  is  also  the  natural  and  obvious  line  upon  which  to  receive 
the  attack  of  a  force  marching  from  below  toward  Gordons- 
ville.  Behind  Mine  Run,  therefore,  just  east  of  the  little 
village  of  Yerdierville,  General  Lee  directed  his  two  corps 
to  concentrate;  and  at  the  word,  the  men,  lounging  but 
now  carelessly  in  winter-quarters,  sprung  to  arms,  "fell 
in,"  and  with  burnished  muskets  took  up  the  line  of 
march. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  promptness  with  which  the 
movement  was  made,  and  it  may  almost  be  said  that  Gen 
eral  Meade  had  scarcely  broken  up  his  camps  north  of  the 
Rapidan,  when  Lee  was  in  motion  to  go  and  meet  him. 
On  the  night  of  the  26th,  Stuart,  whose  cavalry  was  posted 
opposite  the  lower  fords,  pushed  forward  in  person,  and 
bivouacked  under  some  pines  just  below  Yerdierville ;  and 
before  daylight  General  Lee  was  also  in  the  saddle,  and  at 
sunrise  had  reached  the  same  point.  The  night  had  been 
severely  cold,  for  winter  had  set  in  in  earnest ;  but  General 
Lee,  always  robust  and  careless  of  weather,  walked  down, 
without  wrapping,  and  wearing  only  his  plain  gray  uniform, 
to  Stuart's  impromptu  headquarters  under  the  pines,  where, 
beside  a  great  fire,  and  without  other  covering  than  his 
army-blanket,  the  commander  of  the  cavalry  had  slept  since 
midnight. 

As  Lee  approached,  Stuart  came  forward,  and  Lee  said, 
admiringly,  "  "What  a  hardy  soldier !  " 

They  consulted,  Stuart  walking  back  with  General  Lee, 
and  receiving  his  orders.  He  then  promptly  mounted,  and 
hastened  to  the  front,  where,  taking  command  of  his  cav 
alry,  he  formed  it  in  front  of  the  advancing  enemy,  and, 


364:  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  OF   THE   YEAR  1863. 

with  artillery  and  dismounted  sharp-shooters,  offered  every 
possible  impediment  to  their  advance. 

General  Meade  made  the  passage  of  the  Rapidan  with 
out  difficulty ;  and,  as  his  expedition  was  unencumbered 
with  wagons,  advanced  rapidly.  The  only  serious  obstruc 
tion  to  his  march  was  made  by  Johnson's  division  of  E well's 
corps,  which  had  been  thrown  out  beyond  the  run,  toward 
the  river.  Upon  this  force  the  Federal  Third  Corps,  under 
General  French,  suddenly  blundered,  by  taking  the  wrong 
road,  it  is  said,  and  an  active  engagement  followed,  which 
resulted  in  favor  of  the  Southerners.  The  verdict  of  Lee's 
troops  afterward  was,  that  the  enemy  fought  badly  5  but 
General  French  probably  desired  nothing  better  than  to 
shake  off  this  hornets'-nest  into  which  he  had  stumbled, 
and  to  reach,  in  the  time  prescribed  by  General  Meade,  the 
point  of  Federal  concentration  near  Robertson's  Tavern. 

Toward  that  point  the  Northern  forces  now  converged 
from  the  various  crossings  of  the  river ;  and  Stuart  contin 
ued  to  reconnoitre  and  feel  them  along  the  entire  front, 
fighting  obstinately,  and  falling  back  only  when  compelled 
to  do  so.  Every  step  was  thus  contested  with  sharp-shooters 
and  the  Horse-Artillery,  from  far  below  to  above  New-Hope 
Church.  The  Federal  infantry,  however,  continued  steadily 
to  press  forward,  forcing  back  the  cavalry,  and  on  the  27th 
General  Meade  was  in  face  of  Mine  Run. 

Lee  was  ready.  Hill  had  promptly  marched,  and  his 
corps  was  coming  into  position  on  the  right  of  Ewell.  Re 
ceiving  intelligence  of  the  enemy's  movement  only  upon  the 
preceding  day,  Lee  had  seemed  to  move  the  divisions  of 
Hill,  far  back  toward  Charlottesville,  as  by  the  wave  of  his 
hand.  The  army  was  concentrated ;  the  line  of  defence 


THE  ADVANCE   TO   MINE   RUN.  365 

occupied ;  and  General  Meade's  attempt  to  surprise  liis  ad 
versary,  by  interposing  between  his  widely-separated  wings, 
had  resulted  in  decisive  failure.  If  he  fought  now,  the  bat 
tle  must  be  one  of  army  against  army  ;  and,  what  was  worst 
of  all,  it  was  Lee  who  held  all  the  advantages  of  position. 

We  have  spoken  of  Mine  Run  :  it  is  a  strong  defensive 
position,  on  its  right  bank  and  on  its  left.  Flowing  gen 
erally  between  hills,  and  with  densely- wooded  banks,  it  is 
difficult  to  cross  from  either  side  in  face  of  an  opposing 
force ;  and  it  was  Lee's  good  fortune  to  occupy  the  attitude 
of  the  party  to  be  assailed.  He  seemed  to  feel  that  he  had 
nothing  to  fear,  and  was  in  excellent  spirits,  as  were  the 
men  ;  an  eye-witness  describes  them  as  "  gay,  lively,  laugh 
ing,  magnificent."  In  front  of  his  left  wing  he  had  already 
erected  works ;  his  centre  and  right  were  as  yet  undefended, 
but  the  task  of  strengthening  the  line  at  these  points  was 
rapidly  prosecuted.  Lee  superintended  in  person  the  estab 
lishment  of  his  order  of  battle,  and  it  was  plain  to  those 
who  saw  him  thus  engaged  that  the  department  of  military 
engineering  was  a  favorite  one  with  him.  Riding  along  the 
western  bank  of  the  water-course,  a  large  part  of  which 
was  densely  clothed  in  oak,  chestnut,  and  hickory,  he  se 
lected,  with  the  quick  eye  of  the  trained  engineer,  the  best 
position  for  his  line — promptly  moved  it  when  it  had  been 
established  on  bad  ground — pointed  out  the  positions  for 
artillery ;  and,  as  he  thus  rode  slowly  along,  the  works 
which  he  had  directed  seemed  to  spring  up  behind  him  as 
though  by  magic.  As  the  troops  of  Hill  came  up  and  halt 
ed  in  the  wood,  the  men  seized  axes,  attacked  the  large 
trees,  which  soon  fell  in  every  direction,  and  the  heavy 

logs  were  dragged  without  loss  of  time  to  the  prescribed 
25 


366  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

line,  where  they  were  piled  upon  each  other  in  double  walls, 
which  were  filled  in  rapidly  with  earth ;  and  thus,  in  an 
inconceivably  short  space  of  time  the  men  had  defences 
breast-high  which  would  turn  a  cannon-shot.  In  front,  for 
some  distance,  too,  the  timber  had  been  felled  and  an  abatis 
thus  formed.  A  few  hours  after  the  arrival  of  the  troops  on 
the  line  marked  out  by  Lee,  they  were  rooted  behind  excel 
lent  breastworks,  with  forest,  stream,  and  abatis  in  front, 
to  delay  the  assailing  force  under  the  fire  of  small-arms 
and  cannon. 

This  account  of  the  movements  of  the  army,  and  the 
preparations  made  to  receive  General  Meade's  attack,  may 
appear  of  undue  length  and  minuteness  of  detail,  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  no  battle  ensued.  But  the  volume  before 
the  reader  is  not  so  much  a  history  of  the  battles  of  Yir- 
ginia,  which  have  often  been  described,  as  an  attempt  to 
delineate  the  military  and  personal  character  of  General 
Lee,  which  displayed  itself  often  more  strikingly  in  inde 
cisive  events  than  in  those  whose  results  attract  the  at 
tention  of  the  world.  It  was  the  vigorous  brain,  indeed, 
of  the  great  soldier,  that  made  events  indecisive — ward 
ing  off,  by  military  acumen  and  ability,  the  disaster  with 
which  he  was  threatened.  At  Mine  Run,  Lee's  quick  eye 
for  position,  and  masterly  handling  of  his  forces,  completely 
checkmated  an  adversary  who  had  advanced  to  deliver  de 
cisive  battle.  With  felled  trees,  breastworks,  and  a  crawl 
ing  stream,  Lee  reversed  all  the  calculations  of  the  com 
mander  of  the  Federal  army. 

From  the  27th  of  November  to  the  night  of  the  1st  of 
December,  General  Meade  moved  to  and  fro  in  front  of  the 
formidable  works  of  his  adversary,  feeling  them  with  skir- 


THE  ADVANCE  TO  MINE  RUN.  36T 

mishers  and  artillery,  and  essaying  vainly  to  find  some  joint 
in  the  armor  through,  which  to  pierce.  There  was  none. 
Lee  had  inaugurated  that  great  system  of  breastworks  which 
afterward  did  him  such  good  service  in  his  long  campaign 
with  General  Grant.  A  feature  of  the  military  art  un 
known  to  Jomini  had  thus  its  birth  in  the  woods  of  Amer 
ica  ;  and  this  fact,  if  there  were  naught  else  of  interest  in 
the  campaign,  would  communicate  to  the  Mine-Bun  affair 
the  utmost  interest. 

General  Meade,  it  seems,  was  bitterly  opposed  to  fore 
going  an  attack.  In  spite  of  the  powerful  position  of  his 
adversary,  he  ordered  an  assault,  it  is  said ;  but  this  did  not 
take  place,  in  consequence,  it  would  appear,  of  the  reluc 
tance  of  General  -"Warren  to  charge  the  Confederate  right. 
This  seemed  so  strong  that  the  men  considered  it  hopeless. 
When  the  order  was  communicated  to  them,  each  one  wrote 
his  name  on  a  scrap  of  paper  and  pinned  it  to  his  breast, 
that  his  corpse  might  be  recognized,  and,  if  possible,  con 
veyed  to  his  friends.  This  was  ominous  of  failure :  Gen 
eral  Warren  suspended  the  attack ;  and  General  Meade,  it 
is  said,  acquiesced  in  his  decision.  He  declared,  it  is  re 
lated,  that  he  could  carry  the  position  with  a  loss  of  thirty 
thousand  men  •  but,  as  that  idea  was  frightful,  there  seemed 
nothing  to  do  but  retreat. 

Lee  seemed  to  realize  the  embarrassment  of  his  adver 
sary,  and  was  in  excellent  heart  throughout  the  whole  affair. 
Biding  to  and  fro  along  his  line  among  his  "  merry  men  " — 
and  they  had  never  appeared  in  finer  spirits,  or  with  greater 
confidence  in  their  commander — he  addressed  encouraging 
words  to  them,  exposed  himself  with  entire  indifference  to 
the  shelling,  and  seemed  perfectly  confident  of  the  result. 


568  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that,  finding  a  party  of  his  ragged 
soldiers  devoutly  kneeling  in  one  of  the  little  glades  behind 
the  breastworks,  and  holding  a  praying-meeting  in  the 
midst  of  bursting  shells,  he  dismounted,  took  off  his  hat, 
and  remained  silently  and  devoutly  listening  until  the  ear 
nest  prayer  was  concluded.  A  great  revival  was  then  going 
on  in  the  army,  and  thousands  were  becoming  professors  of 
religion.  The  fact  may  seem  strange  to  those  who  have  re 
garded  Lee  as  only  a  "West-Pointer  and  soldier,  looking,  like 
all  soldiers,  to  military  success ;  but  the  religious  enthusi 
asm  of  his  men  in  this  autumn  of  1863  probably  gave  him 
greater  joy  than  any  successes  achieved  over  his  Federal 
adversary.  Those  who  saw  him  on  the  lines  at  Mine  Run 
will  remember  the  composed  satisfaction  of  his  countenance. 
An  eye-witness  recalls  his  mild  face,  as  he  rode  along,  ac 
companied  by  "  Hill,  in  his  drooping  hat,  simple  and  cor 
dial  ;  Early,  laughing  ;  Ewell,  pale  and  haggard,  but  with  a 
smile  de  Ion  cceur"  *  He  was  thus  attended,  sitting  his 
horse  upon  a  hill  near  the  left  of  his  line,  when  a  staff-officer 
rode  up  and  informed  him  that  the  enemy  were  making  a 
heavy  demonstration  against  his  extreme  right. 

"  Infantry  or  cavalry  ?  "  he  asked,  with  great  calmness. 

"  Infantry,  I  think,  general,  from  the  appearance  of  the 
guns.  General  Wilcox  thinks  so,  and  has  sent  a  regiment 
of  sharp-shooters  to  meet  them." 

"  Who  commands  the  regiment  ? "  asked  General  Lee ; 
and  it  was  to  introduce  this  question  that  this  trifle  has 
been  mentioned.  Lee  knew  his  army  man  by  man  almost, 
and  could  judge  of  the  probable  result  of  the  movement  here 
announced  to  him  by  the  name  of  the  officer  in  command. 

*  Journal  of  a  staff-officer. 


THE  ADVANCE  TO  MINE  RUN.  369 

Finding  that  General  Meade  would  not  probably  ven 
ture  to  assail  him,  Lee  determined,  on  the  night  of  Decem 
ber  1st,  to  attack  his  adversary  on  the  next  morning.  His 
mildness  on  this  night  yielded  to  soldierly  ardor,  and  he 
exclaimed : 

"  They  must  be  attacked !  they  must  be  attacked !  " 

His  plan  is  said  to  have  contemplated  a  movement  of 
his  right  wing  against  the  Federal  left  flank,  for  which  the 
ground  afforded  great  advantages.  All  was  ready  for  such 
a  movement,  and  the  orders  are  said  to  have  been  issued, 
when,  as  the  dawn  broke  over  the  hills,  the  Federal  camps 
were  seen  to  be  deserted.  General  Meade  had  abandoned 
his  campaign,  and  was  in  full  retreat  toward  the  Rapidan. 

The  army  immediately  moved  in  pursuit,  with  Lee  lead 
ing  the  column.  The  disappearance  of  the  enemy  was  an 
astounding  event  to  them,  and  they  could  scarcely  realize  it. 
An  entertaining  illustration  of  this  fact  is  found  in  the  jour 
nal  of  a  staff-officer,  who  was  sent  with  an  order  to  General 
Hampton.  "  In  looking  for  him,"  says  the  writer,  "  I  got 
far  to  our  right,  and  in  a  hollow  of  the  woods  found  a  grand 
guard  of  the  Eleventh  Cavalry,  with  pickets  and  videttes 
out,  gravely  sitting  their  horses,  and  watching  the  wood- 
roads  for  the  advance  of  an  enemy  who  was  then  retreating 
across  Ely's  Ford ! "  Stuart  was  pressing  their  rear  with 
his  cavalry,  while  the  infantry  were  steadily  advancing. 
But  the  pursuit  was  vain.  General  Meade  had  disappeared 
like  a  phantom,  and  was  beyond  pursuit,  to  the  extreme 
regret  and  disappointment  of  General  Lee,  who  halted  his 
troops,  in  great  discouragement,  at  Parker's  Store. 

"  Tell  General  Stuart,"  he  said,  with  an  air  of  deep  mel 
ancholy,  to  an  officer  whom  he  saw  passing,  "  that  I  had 


370  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

received  his  dispatch  when  he  turned  into  the  Brock  Road, 
and  have  halted  my  infantry  here,  not  wishing  to  march 
them  unnecessarily." 

Even  at  that  early  hour  all  chance  of  effective  pursuit 
was  lost.  General  Meade,  without  wragons,  and  not  even 
with  the  weight  of  the  rations  brought  over,  which  the  men 
had  consumed,  had  moved  with  the  rapidity  of  cavalry,  and 
was  already  crossing  the  river  far  below.  He  was  afterward 
asked  by  a  gentleman  of  Culpepper  whether  in  crossing  the 
Rapidan  he  designed  a  real  advance. 

"  Certainly,"  he  is  reported  by  the  gentleman  in  ques 
tion  to  have  replied,  "  I  meant  to  go  to  Richmond  if  I  could, 
but  Lee's  position  was  so  strong  that  to  storm  it  would  have 
cost  me  thirty  thousand  men.  I  could  not  remain  without 
a  battle — the  weather  was  so  cold  that  my  sentinels  froze  to 
death  on  post." 

The  pursuit  was  speedily  abandoned  by  General  Lee  as 
entirely  impracticable,  and  the  men  were  marched  back  be 
tween  the  burning  woods,  set  on  fire  by  the  Federal  camp- 
fires.  The  spectacle  was  imposing — the  numerous  fires, 
burning  outerward  in  the  carpet  of  thick  leaves,  formed 
picturesque  rings  of  flame  resembling  brilliant  necklaces ; 
and,  as  the  flames  reached  the  tall  trees,  wrapped  to  the 
summit  in  dry  vines,  these  would  blaze  aloft  like  gigantic 
torches — true  "torches  of  war" — let  fall  by  the  Federal 
commander  in  his  hasty  retrograde. 

Twenty-four  hours  afterward  the  larger  part  of  General 
Lee's  army  were  back  in  their  winter-quarters.  In  less  than 
a  week  the  Mine-Run  campaign  had  begun  and  ended. 
The  movement  of  General  Meade  might  have  been  com 
pared  to  that  of  the  King  of  France  and  his  forty  thousand 


LEE  IN  THE  AUTUMN  AND   WINTER  OF   1863.  371 

men  in  the  song ;  but  the  campaign  was  not  ill  devised, 
was  rather  the  dictate  of  sound  military  judgment.  All 
that  defeated  it  was  the  extreme  promptness  of  Lee,  the  ex 
cellent  choice  of  position,  and  the  beginning  of  that  great 
system  of  impromptu  breastworks  which  afterward  became 
so  powerful  an  engine  against  General  Grant 


YL 

LEE   IN   THE   AUTUMN   AND    WINTEE    OF   1863. 

GENERAL  LEE'S  headquarters  remained,  throughout  the 
autumn  and  winter  of  1863,  in  a  wood  on  the  southern 
slope  of  the  spur  called  Clarke's  Mountain,  a  few  miles  east 
of  Orange  Court-House. 

Here  his  tents  had  been  pitched,  in  a  cleared  space  amid 
pines  and  cedars ;  and  the  ingenuity  of  the  "  couriers,"  as 
messengers  and  orderlies  were  called  in  the  Southern  army, 
had  fashioned  alleys  and  walks  leading  to  the  various  tents, 
the  tent  of  the  commanding  general  occupying  the  centre. 
Of  the  gentlemen  of  General  Lee's  staff  we  have  not  con 
sidered  it  necessary  to  speak ;  but  it  may  here  be  said  that 
it  was  composed  of  officers  of  great  efficiency  and  of  the 
most  courteous  manners,  from  Colonel  Taylor,  the  indefati 
gable  adjutant-general,  to  the  youngest  and  least  promi 
nent  member  of  the  friendly  group.  Among  these  able  as 
sistants  of  the  commander-in-chief  were  Colonel  Marshall, 
of  Maryland,  a  gentleman  of  distinguished  intellect ;  Colonel 
Peyton,  who  had  entered  the  battle  of  Manassas  as  a  pri 
vate  in  the  ranks,  but,  on  the  evening  of  that  day,  for  cour 
age  and  efficiency,  occupied  the  place  of  a  commissioned 


3Y2  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

officer  on  Beauregard's  staff;  and  others  whose  names  were 
comparatively  unknown  to  the  army,  but  whose  part  in  the 
conduct  of  affairs,  under  direction  of  Lee,  was  most  impor 
tant. 

With  the  gentlemen  of  his  staff  General  Lee  lived  on 
terms  of  the  most  kindly  regard.  He  was  a  strict  discipli 
narian,  and  abhorred  the  theory  that  a  commissioned  officer, 
from  considerations  of  rank,  should  hold  himself  above  the 
private  soldiers ;  but  there  was  certainly  no  fault  of  this 
description  to  be  found  at  army  headquarters,  and  the  gen 
eral  and  his  staff  worked  together  in  harmonious  coopera 
tion.  The  respect  felt  for  him  by  gentlemen  who  saw  him 
at  all  hours,  and  under  none  of  the  guise  of  ceremony,  was 
probably  greater  than  that  experienced  by  the  community 
who  looked  upon  him  from  a  distance.  That  distant  per 
spective,  hiding  little  weaknesses,  and  revealing  only  the 
great  proportions  of  a  human  being,  is  said  to  be  essential 
generally  to  the  heroic  sublime.  ~No  man,  it  has  been  said, 
can  be  great  to  those  always  near  him  ;  but  in  the  case  of 
General  Lee  this  was  far  from  being  the  fact.  He  seemed 
greater  and  nobler,  day  by  day,  as  he  was  better  and  more 
intimately  known  ;  and  upon  this  point  we  shall  quote  the 
words  of  the  brave  John  B.  Gordon,  one  of  his  most  trusted 
lieutenants : 

"  It  has  been  my  fortune  in  life,"  says  General  Gordon, 
a  from  circumstances,  to  have  come  in  contact  with  some 
whom  the  world  pronounced  great — some  of  the  earth's 
celebrated  and  distinguished ;  but  I  declare  it  here  to-day, 
that  of  any  mortal  man  whom  it  has  ever  been  my  privilege 
to  approach,  he  was  the  greatest ;  and  I  assert  here,  that, 
yrand  as  might  1e  your  conception  of  the  man  ~before^  he 


LEE   IN   THE  AUTUMN  AND   WINTER  OF   1863.  373 

arose  in  incomparable  majesty  on  more  familiar  acquaint 
ance.  This  can  be  affirmed  of  few  men  who  have  ever  lived 
or  died,  and  of  no  other  man  whom  it  has  ever  been  my  for 
tune  to  approach.  Like  Niagara,  the  more  you  gazed,  the 
more  its  grandeur  grew  upon  you,  the  more  its  majesty  ex 
panded  and  filled  your  spirit  with  a  full  satisfaction  that  left 
a  perfect  delight  without  the  slightest  feeling  of  oppression. 
Grandly  majestic  and  dignified  in  all  his  deportment,  he  was 
genial  as  the  sunlight  of  this  beautiful  day ;  and  not  a  ray 
of  that  cordial  social  intercourse  but  brought  warmth  to  the 
heart  as  it  did  light  to  the  understanding." 

Upon  this  point,  General  Breckinridge,  too,  bears  his 
testimony  :  "  During  the  last  year  of  that  unfortunate  strug 
gle,"  he  says,  "  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  spend  a  great  deal 
of  time  with  him.  I  was  almost  constantly  by  his  side,  and 
it  was  during  the  two  months  immediately  preceding  the 
fall  of  Richmond  that  I  came  to  know  and  fully  understand 
the  true  nobility  of  his  character.  In  all  those  long  vigils, 
he  was  considerate  and  kind,  gentle,  firm,  and  self-poised. 
1  can  give  no  better  idea  of  the  impression  it  made  upon  me, 
than  to  say  it  inspired  me  with  an  ardent  love  of  the  man 
and  a  profound  veneration  of  his  character.  It  was  so  mas 
sive  and  noble,  so  grand  in  its  proportions,  that  all  men 
must  admire  its  heroism  and  gallantry,  yet  so  gentle  and 
tender  that  a  woman  might  adopt  and  claim  it  as  her  own." 

"We  beg  the  reader  to  observe  that  in  these  two  tributes 
to  the  worth  of  the  great  soldier,  his  distinguished  associates 
dwell  with  peculiar  emphasis  upon  the  charms  of  private 
intercourse  with  him,  and  bear  their  testimony  to  the  fact 
that  to  know  him  better  was  to  love  and  admire  him  more 
and  more.  The  fact  is  easily  explained.  There  was  in  this 


374:  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR  1863. 

human  being's  character  naught  that  was  insincere,  assumed, 
or  pretentious.  It  was  a  great  and  massive  soul — as  gentle, 
too,  and  tender,  as  a  woman's  or  a  child's — that  lay  beneath 
the  reserved  exterior,  and  made  the  soldier  more  beloved  as 
its  qualities  were  better  known.  Other  men  reveal  their 
weaknesses  on  nearer  acquaintance — Lee  only  revealed  his 
greatness ;  and  he  was  more  and  more  loved  and  admired. 

The  justice  of  these  comments  will  be  recognized  by  all 
who  had  personal  intercourse  with  the  illustrious  soldier ; 
and,  in  this  autumn  and  winter  of  1863,  his  army,  lying 
around  him  along  the  Rapidan,  began  to  form  that  more  in 
timate  acquaintance  which  uniformly  resulted  in  profound 
admiration  for  the  man.  In  the  great  campaigns  of  the  two 
past  years  the  gray  soldier  had  shared  their  hardships,  and 
never  relaxed  his  fatherly  care  for  all  their  wants ;  he  had 
led  them  in  battle,  exposing  his  own  person  with  entire  in 
difference  ;  had  never  exposed  them  when  it  was  possible  to 
avoid  it ;  and  on  every  occasion  had  demanded,  often  with 
disagreeable  persistence  from  the  civil  authorities,  that  the 
wants  of  his  veterans  should  be  supplied  if  all  else  was  neg 
lected.  These  facts  were  now  known  to  the  troops,  and 
made  Lee  immensely  popular.  From  the  highest  officers  to 
the  humblest  private  soldiers  he  was  universally  respected 
and  beloved.  The  whole  army  seemed  to  feel  that,  in  the 
plainly-clad  soldier,  sleeping,  like  themselves,  under  canvas, 
in  the  woods  of  Orange,  they  had  a  guiding  and  protecting 
head,  ever  studious  of  their  well-being,  jealous  of  their  hard- 
earned  fame,  and  ready,  both  as  friend  and  commander,  to 
represent  them  and  claim  their  due. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  great  revival  of  religion  which 
at  this  time  took  place  in  the  army.  The  touching  spectacle 


LEE  IN  THE  AUTUMN  AND  WINTER  OF   1863.  375 

was  presented  of  bearded  veterans,  who  had  charged  in  a 
score  of  combats,  kneeling  devoutly  under  the  rustic  roofs 
of  evergreens,  built  for  religious  gatherings,  and  praying  to 
the  God  of  battles  who  had  so  long  protected  them.  A 
commander-in-chief  of  the  old  European  school  might  have 
ridiculed  these  emotional  assemblages,  or,  at  best,  passed 
them  without  notice,  as  freaks  in  which  he  disdained  to  take 
part.  Lee,  on  the  contrary,  greeted  the  religious  enthusi 
asm  of  his  troops  with  undisguised  pleasure.  He  went 
among  them,  conversed  with  the  chaplains,  assisted  the  good 
work  by  every  means  in  his  power ;  and  no  ordained  min 
ister  of  the  Gospel  could  have  exhibited  a  simpler,  sincerer, 
or  more  heartfelt  delight  than  himself  at  the  general  exten 
sion  of  religious  feeling  throughout  the  army.  We  have  re 
lated  how,  in  talking  with  army-chaplains,  his  cheeks  flushed 
and  his  eyes  filled  with  tears  at  the  good  tidings.  He  begged 
them  to  pray  for  him  too,  as  no  less  needing  their  pious  in 
tercession  ;  and  in  making  the  request  he  was,  as  always, 
simple  and  sincere.  Unaccustomed  to  exhibit  his  feelings 
upon  this,  the  profoundest  and  most  sacred  of  subjects,  he 
was  yet  penetrated  to  his  inmost  soul  by  a  sense  of  his  own 
weakness  and  dependence  on  divine  support ;  and,  indeed, 
it  may  be  questioned  whether  any  other  element  of  the  great 
soldier's  character  was  so  deep-seated  and  controlling  as  his 
spirit  of  love  to  God.  It  took,  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  the 
form  of  a  love  of  duty ;  but  with  Lee  the  word  duty  was 
but  another  name  for  the  will  of  the  Almighty ;  and  to  dis 
cover  and  perform  this  was,  first  and  last,  the  sole  aim  of 
his  life. 

"We  elaborate  this  point  before  passing  to  the  last  great 
campaign  of  the  war,  since,  to  understand  Lee  in  those  last 


376  LAS>T  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR  1863. 

days,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  keep  in  view  this  utter 
subjection  of  the  man's  heart  to  the  sense  of  an  overruling 
Providence — that  Providence  which  "  shapes  our  ends,  rough- 
hew  them  how  we  will."  We  shall  be  called  upon  to  de 
lineate  the  soldier  meeting  adverse  circumstances  and  disas 
ter  at  every  turn  with  an  imperial  calmness  and  a  resolution 
that  never  shook ;  and,  up  to  a  certain  point,  this  noble 
composure  may  be  attributed  to  the  stubborn  courage  of  the 
man's  nature.  There  came  in  due  time,  however,  a  moment 
of  trial  when  military  courage  simply  was  of  no  avail — 
when  that  human  being  never  lived,  who,  looking  to  earthly 
support  alone,  would  not  have  lost  heart  and  given  up  the 
contest.  Lee  did  not,  in  this  hour  of  conclusive  trial,  either 
lose  heart  or  give  up  the  struggle ;  and  the  world,  not  un 
derstanding  the  phenomenon,  gazed  at  him  with  wonder. 
Few  were  aware  of  the  true  explanation  of  his  utter  seren 
ity  when  all  things  were  crumbling  around  him,  and  when 
he  knew  that  they  were  crumbling.  The  stout  heart  of  the 
soldier  who  will  not  yield  to  fate  was  in  his  breast ;  but  he 
had  a  still  stronger  sentiment  than  manly  courage  to  support 
him — the  consciousness  that  he  was  doing  his  duty,  and  that 
God  watched  over  him,  and  would  make  all  things  work  to 
gether  for  good  to  those  who  loved  Him. 

As  yet  that  last  great  wrestle  of  the  opposing  armies  lay 
in  the  future.  The  veterans  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Yir- 
ginia  defended  the  line  of  the  Rapidan,  and  the  gray  com- 
mander-in- chief,  in  his  tent  on  Clarke's  Mountain,  serenely 
awaited  the  further  movements  of  the  enemy.  During  the 
long  months  of  winter  he  was  busily  engaged,  as  usual,  in 
official  correspondence,  in  looking  to  the  welfare  of  his  men 
and  in  preparations  for  the  coming  campaign.  He  often 


LEE  IN   THE   AUTUMN  AND   WINTER   OF    1863.  377 

rode  among  the  camps,  and  the  familiar  figure  in  the  well- 
known  hat,  cape,  and  gray  uniform,  mounted  upon  the  pow 
erful  iron-gray — the  famous  "  Traveller,"  who  survived  to 
bear  his  master  after  the  war — was  everywhere  greeted  by 
the  ragged  veterans  with  cheers  and  marks  of  the  highest 
respect  and  regard.  At  times  his  rides  were  extended  to  the 
banks  of  the  Rapidan,  and,  in  passing,  he  would  stop  at  the 
headquarters  of  General  Stuart,  or  other  officers.  On  these 
occasions  he  had  always  some  good-humored  speech  for  all, 
not  overlooking  the  youngest  officer ;  but  he  shone  in  the 
most  amiable  light,  perhaps,  in  conversing  with  some  old 
private  soldier,  gray-haired  like  himself.  At  such  moments 
the  general's  countenance  was  a  pleasant  spectacle.  A  kind 
ly  smile  lit  up  the  clear  eyes,  and  moved  the  lips  half-con 
cealed  by  the  grizzled  mustache.  The  "bonhomie  of  this 
smile  was  irresistible,  and  the  aged  private  soldier,  in  his 
poor,  tattered  fighting-jacket,  was  made  to  feel  by  it  that  his 
commander-in-chief  regarded  him  as  a  friend  and  comrade. 

"We  dwell  at  too  great  length,  perhaps,  upon  these  slight 
personal  traits  of  the  soldier,  but  all  relating  to  such  a  hu 
man  being  is  interesting,  and  worthy  of  record.  To  the 
writer,  indeed,  this  is  the  most  attractive  phase  of  his  sub 
ject.  The  analysis  and  description  of  campaigns  and  bat 
tles  is  an  unattractive  task  to  him ;  but  the  personal  delinea 
tion  of  a  good  and  great  man,  even  in  his  lesser  and  more 
familiar  traits,  is  a  pleasing  relief — a  portion  of  his  subject 
upon  which  he  delights  to  linger.  "What  the  writer  here  tries 
to  draw,  he  looked  upon  with  his  own  eyes,  the  figure  of  a 
great,  calm  soldier,  with  kindly  sweetness  and  dignity,  but, 
above  all,  a  charming  sincerity  and  simplicity  in  every  move 
ment,  accent,  and  expression.  Entirely  free  from  the  trap- 


378  I^-ST  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  YEAR   1863. 

pings  of  high  command,  and  with  nothing  to  distinguish  him 
from  any  other  soldier  save  the  well-worn  stars  on  the  collar 
of  his  uniform-coat,  the  commander-in-chief  was  recognizable 
at  the  very  first  glance,  and  no  less  the  simple  and  kindly 
gentleman.  His  old  soldiers  remember  him  as  he  appeared 
on  many  battle-fields,  and  will  describe  his  martial  seat  in 
the  saddle  as  he  advanced  with  the  advancing  lines.  But 
they  will  speak  of  him  with  even  greater  pleasure  as  he  ap 
peared  in  the  winters  of  1862  and  1863,  on  the  Rappahan- 
nock  and  the  Eapidan — a  gray  and  simple  soldier,  riding 
among  them  and  smiling  kindly  as  his  eyes  fell  upon  their 
tattered  uniforms  and  familiar  faces. 


PART 


1  GE'S    LAST    CAMPAIGNS    AND    LAST 
DAYS. 


GENERAL  GBANT  CEOSSES  THE  EAPIDAN. 

LJT  the  first  days  of  May,  1864,  began  the  immense  cam 
paign  which  was  to  terminate  only  with  the  fall  of  the  Con 
federacy. 

For  this,  which  was  regarded  as  the  decisive  trial  of 
strength,  the  Federal  authorities  had  made  elaborate  prepa 
rations.  New  levies  were  raised  by  draft  to  fill  up  the  ranks 
of  the  depleted  forces ;  great  masses  of  war  material  were 
accumulated  at  the  central  depots  at  Washington,  and  the 
Government  summoned  from  the  West  an  officer  of  high 
reputation  to  conduct  hostilities  on  what  was  more  plainly 
than  ever  before  seen  to  be  the  theatre  of  decisive  conflict — 
Virginia.  The  officer  in  question  was  General  Ulysses  S. 
Grant,  who  had  received  the  repute  of  eminent  military 
ability  by  his  operations  in  the  West ;  he  was  now  commis 
sioned  lieutenant-general,  and  President  Lincoln  assigned 
him  to  the  command  of  "  all  the  armies  of  the  United 
States,"  at  that  time  estimated  to  number  one  million  men. 


380  LEE'S   LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST   DAYS. 

General  Grant  promptly  accepted  the  trust  confided  to 
him,  and,  relinquishing  to  Major-General  Sherman  the  com 
mand  of  the  Western  forces,  proceeded  to  Culpepper  and  as 
sumed  personal  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  al 
though  nominally  that  army  remained  under  command  of 
General  Heade.  The  spring  campaign  was  preceded,  in 
February,  by  two  movements  of  the  Federal  forces :  one  the 
advance  of  General  B.  F.  Butler  up  the  Peninsula  to  the 
Chickahominy,  where  for  a  few  hours  he  threatened  Rich 
mond,  only  to  retire  hastily  when  opposed  by  a  few  local 
troops  5  the  other  the  expedition  of  General  Kilpatrick  with 
a  body  of  cavalry,  from  the  Rapidan  toward  Richmond,  with 
the  view  of  releasing  the  Federal  prisoners  there.  This 
failed  completely,  like  the  expedition  up  the  Peninsula. 
General  Kilpatrick,  after  threatening  the  city,  rapidly  re 
treated,  and  a  portion  of  his  command,  under  Colonel  Dahl- 
gren,  was  pursued,  and  a  large  portion  killed,  including  their 
commander.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  for  the  honor  of  human 
nature,  that  Colonel  Dahlgren's  designs  were  different  from 
those  which  are  attributed  to  him  on  what  seems  unassail 
able  proof.  Papers  found  upon  his  body  contained  minute 
directions  for  releasing  the  prisoners  and  giving  up  the  city 
to  them,  and  for  putting  to  death  the  Confederate  President 
and  his  Cabinet. 

To  return  to  the  more  important  events  on  the  Rapidan. 
General  Grant  assumed  the  direction  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  under  most  favorable  auspices.  Other  command 
ers — especially  General  McClellan — had  labored  under  pain 
ful  disadvantages,  from  the  absence  of  cooperation  and  good 
feeling  on  the  part  of  the  authorities.  The  new  leader  en 
tered  upon  the  great  struggle  under  very  different  circum- 


GENERAL  GRANT   CROSSES  THE  RAPIDAN.  381 

stances.  Personally  and  politically  acceptable  to  the  Gov 
ernment,  lie  received  their  hearty  cooperation :  all  power 
was  placed  in  his  hands  ;  he  was  enabled  to  concentrate  in 
Virginia  the  best  troops,  in  large  numbers  ;  and  the  charac 
ter  of  this  force  seemed  to  promise  him  assured  victory. 
General  McClellan  and  others  had  commanded  troops  com 
paratively  raw,  and  were  opposed  by  Confederate  armies  in 
the  full  flush  of  anticipated  success.  General  Grant  had 
now  under  him  an  army  of  veterans,  and  the  enemy  he  was 
opposed  to  had,  month  by  month,  lost  strength.  Under 
these  circumstances  it  seemed  that  he  ought  to  succeed  in 
crushing  his  adversary. 

The  Federal  army  present  and  ready  for  duty  May  1, 
1864,  numbered  one  hundred  and  forty-one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  sixty-six  men.  That  of  General  Lee  num 
bered  fifty-two  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-six.  Colo 
nel  Taylor,  adjutant-general  of  the  Army,  states  the  strictly 
effective  at  a  little  less,  viz. : 

Ewell 13,000 

Hill 17,000 

Longstreet 10,000 


Infantry 40,000 

Cavalry  and  artillery 10,000 

Total 50,000 

The  two  statements  do  not  materially  differ,  and  require 
no  discussion.  The  force  at  Lee's  command  was  a  little 
over  one-third  of  General  Grant's ;  and,  if  it  be  true  that 
the  latter  commander  continued  to  receive  reinforcements 
between  the  1st  and  4th  days  of  May,  when  he  crossed  the 


382  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

Rapidan,  Lee's  force  was  probably  less  than  one-third  of  his 
adversary's. 

Longstreet,  it  will  be  seen,  had  been  brought  back  from 
the  West,  but  the  Confederates  labored  under  an  even  more 
serious  disadvantage  than  want  of  sufficient  force.  Lee's 
army,  small  as  it  was,  was  wretchedly  supplied.  Half  the 
men  were  in  rags,  and,  worse  still,  were  but  one-fourth  fed. 
Against  this  suicidal  policy,  in  reference  to  an  army  upon 
which  depended  the  fate  of  the  South,  General  Lee  had 
protested  in  vain.  "Whether  from  fault  in  the  authorities 
or  from  circumstances  over  which  they  could  exercise  no 
control,  adequate  supplies  of  food  did  not  reach  the  army ; 
and,  when  it  marched  to  meet  the  enemy,  in  the  first  days 
of  May,  the  men  were  gaunt,  half-fed,  and  in  no  condition 
to  enter  upon  so  arduous  a  campaign.  There  was  naught 
to  be  done,  however,  but  to  fight  on  to  the  end.  Upon  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  depleted  by  casualties,  and  un 
provided  with  the  commonest  necessaries,  depended  the  fate 
of  the  struggle.  Generals  Grant  and  Lee  fully  realized  that 
fact ;  and  the  Federal  commander  had  the  acumen  to  per 
ceive  that  the  conflict  was  to  be  long  and  determined.  He 
indulged  no  anticipations  of  an  early  or  easy  success.  His 
plan,  as  stated  in  his  official  report,  was  "  to  hammer  con 
tinuously  against  the  armed  force  of  the  enemy  and  his  re 
sources,  until  ~by  mere  attrition^  if  by  nothing  else,  there 
should  be  nothing  left  of  him  but  an  equal  submission  with 
the  loyal  section  of  our  common  country  to  the  Constitution 
and  the  laws."  The  frightful  cost  in  blood  of  this  policy 
of  hammering  continuously  and  thus  wearing  away  his  ad 
versary's  strength  by  mere  attrition,  did  or  did  not  occur  to 
General  Grant.  In  either  case  he  is  not  justly  to  be  blamed. 


GENERAL  GRANT  CROSSES  THE  RAPIDAN.  333 

It  was  the  only  policy  which  promised  to  result  in  Federal 
success.  Pitched  battles  had  been  tried  for  nearly  three 
years,  and  in  victory  or  in  defeat  the  Southern  army  seemed 
equally  unshaken  and  dangerous.  This  fact  was  now  felt 
and  acknowledged  even  by  its  enemies.  "Lee's  army," 
said  a  Northern  writer,  referring  to  it  at  this  time,  "  is  an 
army  of  veterans :  it  is  an  instrument  sharpened  to  a  per 
fect  edge.  You  turn  its  flanks — well,  its  flanks  are  made 
to  be  turned.  This  effects  little  or  nothing.  All  that  we 
reckon  'as  gained,  therefore,  is  the  loss  of  life  inflicted  on  the 
enemy."  "With  an  army  thus  trained  in  many  combats,  and 
hardened  against  misfortune,  defeat  in  one  or  a  dozen  bat 
tles  decided  nothing.  General  Grant  seems  to  have  under 
stood  this,  and  to  have  resolutely  adopted  the  programme 
of  "  attrition  " — coldly  estimating  that,  even  if  he  lost  ten 
men  to  General  Lee's  one,  he  could  better  endure  that  loss, 
and  could  afford  it,  if  thereby  he  "  crushed  the  rebellion." 

The  military  theory  of  the  Federal  commander  having 
thus  been  set  forth  in  his  own  words,  it  remains  to  notice 
his  programme  for  the  approaching  campaign.  He  had 
hesitated  between  two  plans — "one  to  cross  the  Eapidan 
below  Lee,  moving  by  his  right  flank;  the  other  above, 
moving  by  his  left."  The  last  was  abandoned,  from  the  diffi 
culty  of  keeping  open  communication  with  any  base  of  sup 
plies,  and  the  latter  adopted.  General  Grant  determined 
to  "fight  Lee  between  Culpepper  and  Eichmond,  if  he 
would  stand ; "  to  advance  straight  upon  the  city  and  in 
vest  it  from  the  north  and  west,  thereby  cutting  its  commu 
nications  in  three  directions ;  and  then,  crossing  the  James 
Eiver  above  the  city,  form  a  junction  with  the  left  of  Major- 
General  Butler,  who,  moving  with  about  thirty  thousand 


384  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

men  from  Fortress  Monroe,  at  the  moment  when  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  crossed  the  Rapidan,  was  to  occupy  City 
Point,  advance  thence  up  the  south  side  of  James  River, 
and  reach  a  position  where  the  two  armies  might  thus  unite. 

It  is  proper  to  keep  in  view  this  programme  of  General 
Grant.  Lee  completely  reversed  it  by  promptly  moving  in 
front  of  his  adversary  at  every  step  which  he  took  in  ad 
vance  ;  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Federal  commander 
was  finally  compelled  to  adopt  a  plan  which  does  not  seem 
to  have  entered  his  mind,  save  as  a  dernier  ressort,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  campaign. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  May,  General  Grant  com 
menced  crossing  the  Rapidan  at  Germanna  and  other  fords 
above  Chancellorsville,  and  by  the  morning  of  the  5th  his 
army  was  over.  It  appears  from  his  report  that  he  had  not 
anticipated  so  easy  a  passage  of  the  stream,  and  greatly  fe 
licitated  himself  upon  effecting  it  so  successfully.  "  This  I 
regarded,"  he  says,  "  as  a  great  success,  and  it  removed  from 
my  mind  the  most  serious  apprehension  I  had  entertained, 
that  of  crossing  the  river  in  the  face  of  an  active,  large, 
well-appointed,  and  ably-commanded  army."  Lee  had 
made  no  movement  to  dispute  the  passage  of  the  stream, 
from  the  fact,  perhaps,  that  his  army  was  not  either  "  large  " 
or  "  well-appointed."  He  preferred  to  await  the  appearance 
of  his  adversary,  and  direct  an  assault  on  the  flank  of  his 
column  as  it  passed  across  his  front.  From  a  speech  attrib 
uted  to  General  Meade,  it  would  seem  to  have  been  the  im 
pression  in  the  Federal  army  that  Lee  designed  falling  back 
to  a  defensive  position  somewhere  near  the  South  Anna. 
His  movements  were,  however,  very  different.  Instead  of 
retiring  before  General  Grant  in  the  direction  of  Richmond, 


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GENERAL  GRANT   CROSSES  THE  RAPIDAN.  385 

he  moved  with  his  three  corps  toward  the  "Wilderness,  to 
offer  battle. 

The  head  of  the  column  consisted  of  EwelPs  corps,  which 
had  retained  its  position  on  the  Rapidan,  forming  the  right 
of  Lee's  line.  General  A.  P.  Hill,  who  had  been  stationed 
higher  up,  near  Liberty  Mills,  followed;  and  Longstreet, 
who  lay  near  Gordonsville,  brought  up  the  rear.  These 
dispositions  dictated,  as  will  be  seen,  the  positions  of  the 
three  commands  in  the  ensuing  struggle.  Ewell  advanced 
in  front  down  the  Old  Turnpike,  that  one  of  the  two  great 
highways  here  running  east  and  west  which  is  nearest  the 
Rapidan ;  Hill  came  on  over  the  Orange  Plank-road,  a 
little  south  of  the  turnpike,  and  thus  formed  on  Swell's 
right ;  and  Longstreet,  following,  came  in  on  the  right  of 
Hill 

General  Grant  had  plunged  with  his  army  into  the  dense 
and  melancholy  thicket  which  had  been  the  scene  of  General 
Hooker's  discomfiture.  His  army,  followed  by  its  great 
train  of  four  thousand  wagons,  indicating  the  important 
nature  of  the  movement,  had  reached  Wilderness  Tavern 
and  that  Brock  Road  over  which  Jackson  advanced  in  his 
secret  flank-march  against  the  Federal  right  in  May,  1863. 
In  May  of  1864,  now,  another  Federal  army  had  penetrated 
the  sombre  and  depressing  shadows  of  the  interminable 
thickets  of  the  Wilderness,  and  a  more  determined  struggle 
than  the  first  was  to  mark  with  its  bloody  hand  this  historic 
territory. 


386  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYSL 

« 

II. 

THE    FIRST    COLLISION    IN    THE    WILDERNESS. 

To  understand  the  singular  combat  which  now  ensued,  it 
is  necessary  to  keep  in  view  the  fact  that  nothing  more  sur 
prised  General  Grant  than  the  sudden  appearance  of  his 
adversary  face  to  face  with  him  in  the  Wilderness. 

It  had  not  been  supposed,  either  by  the  lieutenant- 
general  or  his  corps-commanders,  that  Lee,  with  his  small 
army,  would  have  recourse  to  a  proceeding  so  audacious. 
It  was  anticipated,  indeed,  that,  somewhere  on  the  road  to 
Eichmond,  Lee  would  make  a  stand  and  fight,  in  a  carefully- 
selected  position  which  would  enable  him  to  risk  collision 
with  his  great  adversary ;  but  that  Lee  himself  would  bring 
on  this  collision  by  making  an  open  attack,  unassisted  by 
position  of  any  sort,  was  the  last  thing  which  seems  to  have 
occurred  to  his  adversary. 

Such,  however,  as  has  been  said,  was  the  design,  from  the 
first,  of  the  Southern  commander,  and  he  moved  with  his 
accustomed  celerity  and  energy.  As  soon  as  General  Grant 
broke  up  his  camps  north  of  the  Rapidan,  Lee  was  apprised 
of  the  fact,  and  ordered  his  three  corps  to  concentrate  in  the 
direction  of  Chancellorsville.  Those  who  were  present  in 
the  Southern  army  at  this  time  will  bear  record  to  the  sol 
dierly  promptness  of  officers  and  men.  On  the  evening  of 
the  3d  of  May  the  camps  were  the  scenes  of  noise,  merri 
ment,  and  parade :  the  bands  played ;  the  woods  were  alive ; 
nothing  disturbed  the  scene  of  general  enjoyment  of  winter- 
quarters.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th  all  this  was  changed. 
The  camps  were  deserted ;  no  sound  was  anywhere  heard ; 


THE  FIRST  COLLISION  IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  387 

the  troops  were  twenty  miles  away,  fully  armed  and  ready 
for  battle.  General  Lee  was  in  the  saddle,  and  his  presence 
seemed  to  push  forward  his  column.  Ewell,  marching  with 
celerity,  bivouacked  that  night  directly  in  face  of  the  enemy ; 
and  it  was  the  suddenly-discovered  presence  of  the  troops 
of  this  commander  which  arrested  General  Grant,  advancing 
steadily  in  the  direction  of  Spottsylvania  Court-House. 

He  must  have  inwardly  chafed  at  a  circumstance  so  un 
expected  and  embarrassing.  It  had  been  no  part  of  his 
plan  to  fight  in  the  thickets  of  the  Wilderness,  and  yet  an 
adversary  of  but  one-third  his  own  strength  was  about  to 
reverse  his  whole  programme,  and  dictate  the  terms  of  the 
first  battles  of  the  campaign.  There  was  nothing  to  do, 
however,  but  to  fight,  and  General  Grant  hastened  to  form 
order  of  battle  for  that  purpose,  with  General  Sedgwick 
commanding  his  right,  Generals  Warren  and  Burnside  his 
centre,  and  General  Hancock  his  left,  near  the  Brock  Road. 
The  line  thus  formed  extended  from  northwest  to  southeast, 
and,  as  the  right  wing  was  in  advance  with  respect  to  Lee, 
that  circumstance  occasioned  the  first  collision. 

This  occurred  about  mid-day  on  the  5th  of  May,  and  was 
brought  on  by  General  Warren,  who  attacked  the  head  of 
Swell's  column,  on  the  Old  Turnpike.  An  obstinate  en 
gagement  ensued,  and  the  division  which  received  the  as 
sault  was  forced  back.  It  quickly,  however,  reformed,  and 
being  reenforced  advanced  in  turn  against  General  Warren, 
and,  after  a  hard  fight,  he  was  driven  back  with  a  loss  of 
three  thousand  men  and  two  pieces  of  artillery. 

This  first  collision  of  the  armies  on  the  Confederate  left 
was  followed  almost  immediately  by  a  bloody  struggle  on 
the  centre.  This  was  held  by  A.  P.  Hill,  who  had  marched 


388      LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

down  the  Plank-road,  and  was  near  the  important  point  of 
junction  of  that  road  with  the  Brock  Road,  when  he  was 
suddenly  attacked  by  the  enemy.  The  struggle  which  en 
sued  was  long  and  determined.  General  Lee  wrote :  "  The 
assaults  were  repeated  and  desperate,  but  every  one  was 
repulsed."  "When  night  fell,  Hill  had  not  been  driven  back, 
but  had  not  advanced ;  and  the  two  armies  rested  on  their 
arms,  awaiting  the  return  of  light  to  continue  the  battle. 


III. 

THE    BATTLE    OF    THE    6TH    OF    MAY. 

THE  morning  of  the  6th  of  May  came,  and,  with  the 
first  light  of  dawn,  the  adversaries,  as  by  a  common  under 
standing,  advanced  at  the  same  moment  to  attack  each 
other. 

The  battle  which  followed  is  wellnigh  indescribable,  and 
may  be  said,  in  general  terms,  to  have  been  naught  but  the 
blind  and  desperate  clutch  of  two  great  bodies  of  men,  who 
could  scarcely  see  each  other  when  they  were  but  a  few  feet 
apart,  and  who  fired  at  random,  rather  by  sound  than  sight. 
A  Southern  writer,  describing  the  country  and  the  strange 
combat,  says :  "  The  country  was  sombre — a  land  of  thicket, 
undergrowth,  jungle,  ooze,  where  men  could  not  see  each 
other  twenty  yards  off,  and  assaults  had  to  be  made  by  the 
compass.  The  fights  there  were  not  even  as  easy  as  night 
attacks  in  open  country,  for  at  night  you  can  travel  by  the 
stars.  Death  came  unseen ;  regiments  stumbled  on  each 
other,  and  sent  swift  destruction  into  each  other's  ranks, 
guided  by  the  crackling  of  the  bushes.  It  was  not  war- 


THE  BATTLE   OF   THE   6TH   OF  MAY.  389 

military  manoeuvring  :  science  had  as  little  to  do  with  it  as 
eight.  Two  wild  animals  were  hunting  each  other ;  when 
they  heard  each  other's  steps,  they  sprung  and  grappled. 
The  conqueror  advanced,  or  went  elsewhere.  The  dead  were 
lost  from  all  eyes  in  the  thicket.  The  curious  spectacle  was 
here  presented  of  officers  advancing  to  the  charge,  in  the 
jungle,  compass  in  hand,  attacking,  not  by  sight,  but  by 
the  bearing  of  the  needle.  In  this  mournful  and  desolate 
thicket  did  the  great  campaign  of  1864  begin.  Here,  in 
blind  wrestle  as  at  midnight,  did  two  hundred  thousand  men 
in  blue  and  gray  clutch  each  other — bloodiest  and  weirdest 
of  encounters.  War  had  had  nothing  like  it.  The  genius 
of  destruction,  tired  apparently  of  the  old  commonplace 
killing,  had  invented  the  c  unseen  death.'  At  five  in  the 
morning,  the  opponents  closed  in,  breast  to  breast,  in  the 
thicket.  Each  had  thrown  up  here  and  there  slight,  tem 
porary  breastworks  of  saplings  and  dirt ;  beyond  this,  they 
were  unprotected.  The  question  now  was,  which  would 
succeed  in  driving  his  adversary  from  these  defences,  almost 
within  a  few  yards  of  each  other,  and  from  behind  which 
crackled  the  musketry.  Never  was  sight  more  curious.  On 
the  low  line  of  these  works,  dimly  seen  in  the  thicket,  rested 
the  muzzles  spouting  flame ;  from  the  depths  rose  cheers ; 
charges  were  made  and  repulsed,  the.  lines  scarcely  seeing 
each  other ;  men  fell  and  writhed,  and  died  unseen — their 
bodies  lost  in  the  bushes,  their  death-groans  drowned  in  the 
steady,  continuous,  never-ceasing  crash." 

These  sentences  convey  a  not  incorrect  idea  of  the  gen 
eral  character  of  this  remarkable  engagement,  which  had  no 
precedent  in  the  war.  We  shall  now  proceed  to  speak  of 
General  Lee's  plans  and  objects,  and  to  indicate  where  they 


390  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

failed  or  succeeded.  The  commanders  of  both  armies  la 
bored  under  great  embarrassments.  General  Grant's  was 
the  singular  character  of  the  country,  with  which  he  was 
wholly  unacquainted ;  and  General  Lee's,  the  delay  in  the 
arrival  of  Longstreet.  Owing  to  the  distance  of  the  camps 
of  the  last-named  officer,  he  had  not,  at  dawn,  reached  the 
field  of  battle.  As  his  presence  was  indispensable  to  a  gen 
eral  assault,  this  delay  in  his  appearance  threatened  to  result 
in  unfortunate  consequences,  as  it  was  nearly  certain  that 
General  Grant  would  make  an  early  and  resolute  attack. 
Under  these  circumstances,  Lee  resolved  to  commence  the 
action,  and  did  so,  counting,  doubtless,  on  his  ability,  with 
the  thirty  thousand  men  at  his  command,  to  at  least  main 
tain  his  ground.  His  plan  seems  to  have  been  to  make  a 
heavy  demonstration  against  the  Federal  right,  and,  when 
Longstreet  arrived,  throw  the  weight  of  his  whole  centre 
and  right  against  the  Federal  left,  with  the  view  of  seizing 
the  Brock  Road,  running  southward,  and  forcing  back  the 
enemy's  left  wing  into  the  thickets  around  Chancellorsville. 
This  brilliant  conception,  which,  if  carried  out,  would  have 
arrested  General  Grant  in  the  beginning  of  his  campaign, 
was  very  near  meeting  with  success.  The  attack  on  the 
Federal  right,  under  General  Sedgwick,  commenced  at 
dawn,  and  the  fighting  on  both  sides  was  obstinate.  It 
continued  with  indecisive  results  throughout  the  morning, 
gradually  involving  the  Federal  centre ;  but,  nearly  at  the 
moment  when  it  began,  a  still  more  obstinate  conflict  was 
inaugurated  between  General  Hancock,  holding  the  Federa? 
left,  and  Hill,  who  opposed  him  on  the  Plank-road.  The 
battle  raged  in  this  quarter  with  great  fury  for  some  time, 
but,  attacked  in  front  and  flank  at  once  by  his  able  oppo- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE   6TH  OF  MAY.  391 

nent,  Hill  was  forced  back  steadily,  and  at  last,  in  some 
disorder,  a  considerable  distance  from  the  ground  which 
had  witnessed  the  commencement  of  the  action.  At  this 
point,  however,  he  was  fortunately  met  by  Longstreet. 
That  commander  rapidly  brought  his  troops  into  line,  met 
the  advancing  enemy,  attacked  them  with  great  fury,  and, 
after  a  bloody  contest,  in  which  General  "Wadsworth  was 
killed,  drove  them  back  to  their  original  position  on  the 
Brock  Road. 

It  now  seemed  nearly  certain  that  Lee's  plan  of  seizing 
upon  this  important  highway  would  succeed.  General  Han 
cock  had  been  forced  back  with  heavy  loss,  Longstreet  was 
pressing  on,  and,  as  he  afterward  said,  he  "  thought  he  had 
another  Bull  Run  on  them,"  when  a  singular  casualty  de 
feated  all.  General  Longstreet,  who  had  ridden  in  front  of 
his  advancing  line,  turned  to  ride  back,  when  he  was  mis 
taken  by  his  own  men  for  a  Federal  cavalryman,  fired  upon, 
and  disabled  by  a  musket-ball.  This  threw  all  into  disorder, 
and  the  advance  was  discontinued.  General  Lee,  as  soon  as 
he  was  apprised  of  the  accident,  hastened  to  take  personal 
command  of  the  corps,  and,  as  soon  as  order  was  restored, 
directed  the  line  to  press  forward.  The  most  bloody  and 
determined  struggle  of  the  day  ensued.  The  thicket  filled 
the  valleys,  and,  as  at  Chancellors ville,  a  new  horror  was 
added  to  the  horror  of  battle.  A  fire  broke  out  in  the  thick 
et,  and  soon  wrapped  the  adversaries  in  flame  and  smoke 
They  fought  on,  however,  amid  the  crackling  flames.  Lee 
continued  to  press  forward ;  the  Federal  breastworks  along 
a  portion  of  their  front  were  carried,  and  a  part  of  General 
Hancock's  line  was  driven  from  the  field.  The  struggle  had, 
however,  been  decisive  of  no  important  results,  and,  from  the 


LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

lateness  of  the  hour  when  it  terminated,  it  could  not  be  fol 
lowed  up.  On  the  left  Lee  had  also  met  with  marked  but 
equally  indecisive  success.  General  Gordon  had  attacked 
the  Federal  right,  driven  the  force  at  that  point  in  disorder 
from  their  works,  and  but  for  the  darkness  this  success  might 
have  been  followed  up  and  turned  into  a  complete  defeat  of 
that  wing  of  the  enemy.  It  was  only  discovered  on  the  next 
morning  what  important  successes  Gordon  had  effected 
with  a  single  brigade ;  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that 
with  a  larger  force  this  able  soldier  might  have  achieved 
results  of  a  decisive  character.* 

Such  had  been  the  character  and  results  of  the  first  con 
flicts  between  the  two  armies  in  the  thickets  of  the  "Wilder 
ness.  As  we  have  already  said,  the  collision  there  was  nei 
ther  expected  nor  desired  by  General  Grant,  who,  unlike 
General  Hooker,  in  May  of  the  preceding  year,  seems  fully 
to  have  understood  the  unfavorable  nature  of  the  region  for 
manoeuvring  a  large  army.  His  adversary  had,  however, 
forced  him  to  accept  battle,  leaving  him  no  choice,  and  the 
result  of  the  actions  of  the  5th  and  6th  had  been  such  as  to 
determine  the  Federal  commander  to  emerge  as  soon  as  pos 
sible  from  the  tangled  underwood  which  hampered  all  his 
movements.  On  the  7th  he  accordingly  made  no  movement 

*  General  Early,  in  his  "  Memoir  of  the  Last  Tear  of  the  War  for  Indepen 
dence,"  bears  his  testimony  to  the  important  character  of  the  blow  struck  by 
General  Gordon.  He  says :  "  At  light,  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  an  advance 
was  made,  which  disclosed  the  fact  that  the  enemy  had  given  up  his  line  of 
works  hi  front  of  my  whole  line  and  a  good  portion  of  Johnson's.  Between  the 
lines  a  large  number  of  his  dead  had  been  left,  and  at  his  breastworks  a  large 
number  of  muskets  and  knapsacks  had  been  abandoned,  and  there  was  every 
indication  of  great  confusion.  It  was  not  till  then  that  we  understood  the  full 
extent  of  the  success  attending  the  movement  of  the  evening  before."  General 
Gordon  had  proposed  making  the  attack  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  but  was 
overruled. 


THE   12TH  OF  MAY.  393 

to  attack  Lee,  and  on  the  night  of  that  day  marched  rapidly 
in  the  direction  of  Hanover  Junction,  following  the  road  by 
Todd's  Tavern  toward  Spottsylvania  Court-House. 

For  this  determination  to  avoid  further  fighting  in  the 
Wilderness,  General  Grant  gives  a  singular  explanation. 
"On  the  morning  of  the  7th,"  he  says,  " reconnoissance 
showed  that  the  enemy  had  fallen  "behind  his  intrenched  lines, 
with  pickets  to  the  front,  covering  a  part  of  the  battle-field. 
From  this  it  was  evident  that  the  two-days'  fighting  had 
satisfied  him  of  his  inability  to  further  maintain  the  contest 
in  the  open  field,  notwithstanding  his  advantage  of  position, 
and  that  he  would  wait  an  attack  behind  his  works."  The 
"  intrenched  lines  "  and  "  advantage  of  position  "  of  Lee, 
were  both  imaginary.  !N"o  lines  of  intrenchment  had  been 
made,  and  the  ground  was  not  more  favorable  on  General 
Lee's  side  than  on  General  Grant's.  Both  armies  had  erect 
ed  impromptu  breastworks  of  felled  trees  and  earth,  as  con 
tinued  to  be  their  habit  throughout  the  campaign,  and  the 
flat  country  gave  no  special  advantage  to  either.  The  for 
ward  movement  of  General  Grant  is  susceptible  of  much 
easier  explanation.  The  result  of  the  two-days'  fighting  had 
very  far  from  pleased  him ;  he  desired  to  avoid  further  con 
flict  in  so  difficult  a  country,  and,  taking  advantage  of  the 
quiescence  of  Lee,  and  the  hours  of  darkness,  he  moved  with 
his  army  toward  the  more  open  country. 

IT. 

THE    12TH    OF    MAY. 

THROUGHOUT  the  entire  day  succeeding  this  first  great 
conflict,  General  Lee  remained  quiet,  watching  for  some 


394:  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DATS. 

movement  of  his  adversary.  His  success  in  the  preliminary 
struggle  had  been  gratifying,  considering  the  great  dispro 
portion  of  numbers,  but  he  indulged  no  expectation  of  a  ret 
rograde  movement  across  the  Rapidan,  on  the  part  of  Gen 
eral  Grant.  He  expected  him  rather  to  advance,  and  anx 
iously  awaited  some  development  of  this  intention.  There 
were  no  indications  of  such  a  design  up  to  the  night  of  the 
7th,  but  at  that  time,  to  use  the  words  of  a  confidential  mem 
ber  of  Lee's  staff,  "he  all  at  once  seemed  to  conceive  the 
idea  that  his  enemy  was  preparing  to  forsake  his  position, 
and  move  toward  Hanover  Junction  via  the  Spottsylvania 
Court-House,  and,  believing  this,  he  at  once  detailed  Ander 
son's  division  with  orders  to  proceed  rapidly  toward  the 
court-house." 

General  Anderson  commenced  his  march  about  nine 
o'clock  at  night,  when  the  Federal  column  was  already 
upon  its  way.  A  race  now  began  for  the  coveted  position, 
and  General  Stuart,  with  his  dismounted  sharp-shooters 
behind  improvised  breastworks,  harassed  and  impeded  the 
Federal  advance,  at  every  step,  throughout  the  night.  This 
greatly  delayed  their  march,  and  their  head  of  column  did 
not  reach  the  vicinity  of  Spottsylvania  Court-House  until 
past  sunrise.  General  "Warren,  leading  the  Federal  ad 
vance,  then  hurried  forward,  followed  by  General  Hancock, 
when  suddenly  he  found  himself  in  front  of  breastworks,  and 
was  received  with  a  fire  of  musketry.  Lee  had  succeeded  in 
interposing  himself  between  General  Grant  and  Richmond. 

On  the  same  evening  the  bulk  of  the  two  armies  were 
facing  each  other  on  the  line  of  the  Po. 

By  the  rapidity  of  his  movements  General  Lee  had  thus 
completely  defeated  his  adversary's  design  to  seize  on  the 


THE   12TH  OF  MAY.  395 

important  point,  Spottsylvania  Court-House.  General 
Grant,  apparently  conceiving  some  explanation  of  this  un 
toward  event  to  be  necessary,  writes  :  "  The  enemy,  having 
become  aware  of  our  movement,  and  having  the  shorter 
line,  was  enabled  to  reach  there  first."  The  statement  that 
General  Lee  had  the  shorter  of  the  two  lines  to  march  over 
is  a  mistake.  The  armies  moved  over  parallel  roads  until 
beyond  Todd's  Tavern,  after  which  the  distance  to  the  south 
bank  of  the  Po  was  greater  by  Lee's  route  than  General 
Grant's.  The  map  will  sufficiently  indicate  this.  Two 
other  circumstances  defeated  General  Grant's  attempt  to 
reach  the  point  first — the  extreme  rapidity  of  the  march  of 
the  Confederate  advance  force,  and  the  excellent  fighting 
of  Stuart's  dismounted  men,  who  harassed  and  delayed 
General  Warren,  leading  the  Federal  advance  throughout 
the  entire  night. 

An  additional  fact  should  be  mentioned,  bearing  upon 
this  point,  and  upon  General  JLee's  designs.  "  General  Lee's 
orders  to  me,"  says  General  Early,  who,  from  the  sickness 
of  A.  P.  Hill,  had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
corps,  "were  to  move  ~by  TodcPs  Tavern  along  the  Brock 
J2oad,  to  Spottsylvania  Court-House,  as  soon  as  our  front 
was  clear  of  the  enemy."  From  this  order  it  would  appeal- 
either  that  General  Lee  regarded  the  Brock  Road,  over 
which  General  Grant  moved,  as  the  "  shorter  line,"  or  that 
he  intended  the  movement  of  Early  on  the  enemy's  rear  to 
operate  as  a  check  upon  them,  while  he  went  forward  to 
their  front  with  his  main  body. 

These  comments  may  seem  tedious  to  the  general  reader, 
but  all  that  illustrates  the  military  designs,  or  defends  the 

good  soldiership  of  Lee,  is  worthy  of  record. 

27 


396  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

"We  proceed  now  to  the  narrative.  In  the  "Wilderness 
General  Grant  had  found  a  dangerous  enemy  ready  to  strike 
at  his  flank.  He  now  saw  in  his  front  the  same  active  and 
wary  adversary,  prepared  to  bar  the  direct  road  to  Rich 
mond.  General  Lee  had  taken  up  his  position  on  the  south 
bank  of  one  of  the  four  tributaries  of  the  Mattapony.  These 
four  streams  are  known  as  the  Mat,  Ta,  Po,  and  Eye  Riv 
ers,  and  bear  the  same  relation  to  the  main  stream  that  the 
fingers  of  the  open  hand  do  to  the  wrist.  General  Lee  was 
behind  the  Po,  which  is  next  to  the  Eye,  the  northernmost 
of  these  water-courses.  Both  were  difficult  to  cross,  and 
their  banks  heavily  wooded.  It  was  now  to  be  seen 
whether,  either  by  a  front  attack  or  a  turning  movement, 
General  Grant  could  oust  his  adversary,  and  whether  Gen 
eral  Lee  would  stand  on  the  defensive  or  attack. 

All  day,  during  the  9th,  the  two  armies  were  construct 
ing  breastworks  along  their  entire  fronts,  and  these  works, 
from  the  Rapidan  to  the  banks  of  the  Chickahominy,  re 
main  yet  in  existence.  On  the  evening  of  this  day  a  Fed 
eral  force  was  thrown  across  the  Po,  on  the  Confederate  left, 
but  soon  withdrawn ;  and  on  the  10th  a  similar  movement 
took  place  near  the  same  point,  which  resulted  in  a  brief 
but  bloody  conflict,  during  which  the  woods  took  fire,  and 
many  of  the  assaulting  troops  perished  miserably  in  the 
flames.  The  force  was  then  recalled,  and,  during  that  night 
and  the  succeeding  day,  nothing  of  importance  occurred, 
although  heavy  skirmishing  and  an  artillery-fire  took  place 
along  the  lines. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th,  at  the  first  dawn  of  day. 
General  Grant  made  a  more  important  and  dangerous  as 
sault  than  any  yet  undertaken  in  the  campaign.  This  was 


THE   12TH  OF  MAT.  397 

directed  at  a  salient  on  General  Lee's  right  centre,  occupied 
by  Johnson's  division  of  Swell's  corps,  and  was  one  of  the 
bloodiest  and  most  terrible  incidents  of  the  war.  For  this 
assault  General  Grant  is  said  to  have  selected  his  best 
troops.  These  advanced  in  a  heavy  charging  column, 
through  the  half  darkness  of  dawn,  passed  silently  over  the 
Confederate  skirmishers,  scarcely  firing  a  shot,  and,  just  as 
the  first  streak  of  daylight  touched  the  eastern  woods,  burst 
upon  the  salient,  which  they  stormed  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet.  In  consequence  of  the  suddenness  of  the  assault 
and  the  absence  of  artillery — against  whose  removal  Gen 
eral  Johnston  is  stated  to  have  protested,  and  which  arrived 
too  late — the  Federal  forces  carried  all  before  them,  and 
gained  possession  of  the  works,  in  spite  of  a  stubborn  and 
bloody  resistance. 

Such  was  the  excellent  success  of  the  Federal  movement, 
and  the  Southern  line  seemed  to  be  hopelessly  disrupted. 
Kearly  the  whole  of  Johnson's  division  were  taken  prison 
ers — the  number  amounting  to  about  three  thousand — and 
eighteen  pieces  of  artillery  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  assault 
ing  column. 

The  position  of  affairs  was  now  exceedingly  critical ;  and, 
unless  General  Lee  could  reform  his  line  at  the  point,  it 
seemed  that  nothing  was  left  him  but  an  abandonment  of 
his  whole  position.  The  Federal  army  had  broken  his  line ; 
was  pouring  into  the  opening ;  and,  to  prevent  him  from 
concentrating  at  the  point  to  regain  possession  of  the  works, 
heavy  attacks  were  begun  by  the  enemy  on  his  right  and 
left  wings.  It  is  probable  that  at  no  time  during  the  war 
was  the  Southern  army  in  greater  danger  of  a  bloody  and 
decisive  disaster. 


398      LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

At  tliis  critical  moment  General  Lee  acted  with  tlie 
nerve  and  coolness  of  a  soldier  whom  no  adverse  event  can 
shake.  Those  who  saw  him  will  testify  to  the  stern  cour 
age  of  his  expression ;  the  glance  of  the  eye,  which  indicated 
a  great  nature,  aroused  to  the  depth  of  its  powerful  organi 
zation.  Line  of  battle  was  promptly  formed  a  short  dis 
tance  in  rear  of  the  salient  then  in  the  enemy's  possession, 
and  a  fierce  charge  was  made  by  the  Southerners,  under  the 
eye  of  Lee,  to  regain  it.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that,  on 
fire  with  the  ardor  of  battle,  which  so  seldom  mastered  him, 
Lee  went  forward  in  front  of  his  line,  and,  taking  his  station 
beside  the  colors  of  one  of  his  Virginian  regiments,  took 
off  his  hat,  and,  turning  to  the  men,  pointed  toward  the 
enemy.  A  storm  of  cheers  greeted  the  general,  as  he  sat 
his  gray  war-horse,  in  front  of  the  men — his  head  bare,  his 
eyes  flashing,  and  his  cheeks  flushed  with  the  fighting-blood 
of  the  soldier.  General  Gordon,  however,  spurred  to  his 
side  and  seized  his  rein. 

"  General  Lee ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  this  is  no  place  for  you. 
Go  to  the  rear.  These  are  Yirginians  and  Georgians,  sir — 
men  who  have  never  failed ! — Men,  you  will  not  fail  now ! " 
he  cried,  rising  in  his  stirrups  and  addressing  the  troops. 

"  No,  no ! "  was  the  reply  of  the  men ;  and  from  the 
whole  line  burst  the  shout,  "  Lee  to  the  rear !  Lee  to  the 
rear ! » 

Instead  of  being  needed,  it  was  obvious  that  his  pres 
ence  was  an  embarrassment,  as  the  men  seemed  determined 
not  to  charge  unless  he  retired.  He  accordingly  did  so,  and 
the  line  advanced  to  the  attack,  led  by  General  Gordon 
and  other  officers  of  approved  ability  and  courage.  The 
charge  which  followed  was  resolute,  and  the  word  ferocious 


FROM   SPOTTSYLVANIA   TO   THE   CHICKAHOMINY.  399 

best  describes  the  struggle  which  followed.  It  continued 
throughout  the  entire  day,  Lee  making  not  less  than  five 
distinct  assaults  in  heavy  force  to  recover  the  works.  The 
fight  involved  the  troops  on  both  flanks,  and  was  desperate 
and  unyielding.  The  opposing  flags  were  at  times  within 
only  a  few  yards  of  each  other,  and  so  incessant  and  con 
centrated  was  the  fire  of  musketry,  that  a  tree  of  about 
eighteen  inches  in  diameter  was  cut  down  by  bullets,  and  is 
still  preserved,  it  is  said,  in  the  city  of  Washington,  as  a 
memorial  of  this  bloody  struggle. 

The  fighting  only  ceased  several  hours  after  dark.  Lee 
had  not  regained  his  advanced  line  of  works,  but  he  was 
firmly  rooted  in  an  interior  and  straighter  line,  from  which 
the  Federal  troops  had  found  it  impossible  to  dislodge  him. 
This  result  of  the  stubborn  action  was  essentially  a  success, 
as  General  Grant's  aim  in  the  operation  had  been  to  break 
asunder  his  adversary's  army — in  which  he  very  nearly  suc 
ceeded. 

At  midnight  all  was  again  silent.  The  ground  near  the 
salient  was  strewed  with  dead  bodies.  The  loss  of  the  three 
thousand  men  and  eighteen  guns  of  Johnson  had  been  fol 
lowed  by  a  bloody  retaliation,  the  Federal  commander  hav 
ing  lost  more  than  eight  thousand  men. 


Y. 

FEOM    SPOTTSYLVANIA    TO    THE    CHICKAHOMINY. 

AFTER  the  bloody  action  of  the  12th  of  May,  General 
Grant  remained  quiet  for  many  days,  "  awaiting,"  he  says, 
"  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  from  Washington."  Thf» 


4-00  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

number  of  these  fresh,  troops  is  not  known  to  the  present 
writer.  General  Lee  had  no  reinforcements  to  expect,  and 
continued  to  confront  his  adversary  with  his  small  army, 
which  must  have  been  reduced  by  the  heavy  fighting  to 
less  than  forty  thousand  men,  while  that  of  General  Grant 
numbered  probably  about  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand. 

Finding  that  his  opponent  was  not  disposed  to  renew 
hostilities,  General  Lee,  on  the  19th  of  May,  sent  General 
Ewell  to  turn  his  right  flank  ;  but  this  movement  resulted 
in  nothing,  save  the  discovery  by  General  Ewell  that  the 
Federal  army  was  moving.  This  intelligence  was  dis 
patched  to  General  Lee  on  the  evening  of  the  21st,  and 
reached  him  at  Souther's  House,  on  the  banks  of  the  Po, 
where  he  was  calmly  reconnoitring  the  position  of  the  en 
emy. 

As  soon  as  he  read  the  note  of  General  Ewell,  he  mount 
ed  his  horse,  saying,  in  his  grave  voice,  to  his  staff,  "  Come, 
gentlemen  ;  "  and  orders  were  sent  to  the  army  to  prepare 
to  move.  The  troops  began  their  march  on  the  same  night, 
in  the  direction  of  Hanover  Junction,  which  they  reached 
on  the  evening  of  the  22d.  When,  on  May  23d,  General 
Grant  reached  the  banks  of  the  North  Anna,  he  found  Lee 
stationed  on  the  south  bank,  ready  to  oppose  his  crossing. 

The  failure  of  General  Grant  to  reach  and  seize  upon 
the  important  point  of  Hanover  Junction  before  the  arriva] 
of  Lee,  decided  the  fate  of  the  plan  of  campaign  originally 
devised  by  him.  If  the  reader  will  glance  at  the  map  of 
Yirginia,  this  fact  will  become  apparent.  Hanover  Junc 
tion  is  the  point  where  the  Yirginia  Central  and  Rich 
mond  and  Fredericksburg  Railroads  cross  each  other,  and  is 
situated  in  the  angle  of  the  North  Anna  and  South  Anna 


FROM  SPOTTSYLVANIA  TO  THE  CHICKAHOMINY.         4-Q1 

Rivers,  which  unite  a  short  distance  below  to  form  the  Pa- 
munkey.  Once  in  possession  of  this  point,  General  Grant 
would  have  had  easy  communication  with  the  excellent  base 
of  supplies  at  Aquia  Creek ;  would  have  cut  the  Virginia 
Central  Eailroad;  and  a  direct  march  southward  would 
have  enabled  him  to  invest  Eichmond  from  the  north  and 
northwest,  in  accordance  with  his  original  plan.  Lee  had, 
however,  reached  the  point  first,  and  from  that  moment, 
unless  the  Southern  force  were  driven  from  its  position,  the 
entire  plan  of  campaign  must  necessarily  be  changed. 

The  great  error  of  General  Grant  in  this  arduous  cam 
paign  would  seem  to  have  been  the  feebleness  of  the  attack 
which  he  here  made  upon  Lee.  The  position  of  the  South 
ern  army  was  not  formidable,  and  on  his  arrival  they  had 
had  no  time  to  erect  defences.  The  river  is  not  difficult  of 
crossing,  and  the  ground  on  the  south  bank  gives  no  decided 
advantage  to  a  force  occupying  it.  In  spite  of  these  facts — 
which  it  is  proper  to  say  General  Grant  denies,  however — 
nothing  was  effected,  and  but  little  attempted.  A  few 
words  will  sum  up  the  operations  of  the  armies  during  the 
two  or  three  days.  Eeaching  the  river,  General  Grant 
threw  a  column  across  some  miles  up  the  stream,  at  a  point 
known  as  Jericho  Ford,  where  a  brief  but  obstinate  encoun 
ter  ensued  between  Generals  Hill  and  Warren,  and  this 
was  followed  by  the  capture  of  an  old  redoubt  defending 
the  Chesterfield  bridge,  near  the  railroad  crossing,  opposite 
Lee's  right,  which  enabled  another  column  to  pass  the 
stream  at  that  point.  These  two  successful  passages  of 
the  river  on  Lee's  left  and  right  seemed  to  indicate  a  fixed 
intention  on  the  part  of  his  adversary  to  press  both  the 
Southern  flanks,  and  bring  on  a  decisive  engagement ;  and, 


4:02  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

to  cooperate  in  this  plan,  a  third  column  was  now  thrown 
over  opposite  Lee's  centre. 

These  movements  were,  however,  promptly  met.  Lee 
retired  his  two  wings,  but  struck  suddenly  with  his  centre 
at  the  force  attempting  to  cross  there ;  and  then  active  oper 
ations  on  both  sides  ceased.  In  spite  of  having  passed  the 
river  with  the  bulk  of  his  army,  and  formed  line  of  battle, 
General  Grant  resolved  not  to  attack.  His  explanation  of 
this  is  that  Lee's  position  was  found  "  stronger  than  either 
of  his  previous  ones." 

Such  was  the  result  of  the  able  disposition  of  the  South 
ern  force  at  this  important  point.  General  Grant  found  his 
whole  programme  reversed,  and,  on  the  night  of  the  26th, 
silently  withdrew  and  hastened  down  the  north  bank  of  the 
Pamunkey  toward  Hanovertown,  preceded  by  the  cavalry 
of  General  Sheridan. 

That  officer  had  been  detached  from  the  army  as  it  ap 
proached  Spottsylvania  Court-House,  to  make  a  rapid  march 
toward  Richmond,  and  destroy  the  Confederate  communica 
tions.  In  this  he  partially  succeeded,  but,  attempting  to 
ride  into  [Richmond,  was  repulsed  with  considerable  loss. 
The  only  important  result,  indeed,  of  the  expedition,  was 
the  death  of  General  Stuart.  This  distinguished  commander 
of  General  Lee's  cavalry  had  been  directed  to  pursue  Gen 
eral  Sheridan  ;  had  done  so,  with  his  customary  promptness, 
and  intercepted  his  column  near  Richmond,  at  a  spot  known 
as  the  Yellow  Tavern  ;  and  here,  in  a  stubborn  engagement, 
in  which  Stuart  strove  to  supply  his  want  of  troops  by  the 
fury  of  his  attack,  the  great  chief  of  cavalry  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  expired  soon  afterward.  His  fall  was  a 
grievous  blow  to  General  Lee's  heart,  as  well  as  to  the 


FROM  SPOTTSYLVANIA  TO  THE   CHICKAHOMINY.         403 

Southern  cause.  Endowed  by  nature  with  a  courage  which 
shrunk  from  nothing ;  active,  energetic,  of  immense  physical 
stamina,  which  enabled  him  to  endure  any  amount  of  fa 
tigue;  devoted,  heart  and  soul,  to  the  cause  in  which  he 
fought,  and  looking  up  to  the  commander  of  the  army  with 
childlike  love  and  admiration,  Stuart  could  be  ill  spared  at 
this  critical  moment,  and  General  Lee  was  plunged  into  the 
deepest  melancholy  at  the  intelligence  of  his  death.  When 
it  reached  him  he  retired  from  those  around  him,  and  re 
mained  for  some  time  communing  with  his  own  heart  and 
memory.  "When  one  of  his  staff  entered,  and  spoke  of  Stu 
art,  General  Lee  said,  in  a  low  voice,  "  I  can  scarcely  think 
of  him  without  weeping." 

The  command  of  the  cavalry  devolved  upon  General 
Hampton,  and  it  was  fought  throughout  the  succeeding 
campaign  with  the  nerve  and  efficiency  of  a  great  soldier ; 
but  Stuart  had,  as  it  were,  formed  and  moulded  it  with  his 
own  hands ;  he  was  the  first  great  commander  of  horse  in 
the  war ;  and  it  was  hard  for  his  successors,  however  great 
their  genius,  to  compete  writh  his  memory.  His  name  will 
thus  remain  that  of  the  greatest  and  most  prominent  cavalry- 
officer  of  the  war. 

Crossing  the  Pamunkey  at  Han  over  town,  after  a  rapid 
night-march,  General  Grant  sent  out  a  force  toward  Han 
over  Court-House  to  cut  off  Lee's  retreat  or  discover  his 
position.  This  resulted  in  nothing,  since  General  Lee  had 
not  moved  in  that  direction.  He  had,  as  soon  as  the  move 
ment  of  General  Grant  was  discovered,  put  his  lines  in  mo 
tion,  directed  his  march  across  the  country  on  the  direct 
route  to  Cold  Harbor,  and,  halting  behind  the  Tottapotomoi, 
had  formed  his  line  there,  to  check  the  progress  of  his  ad- 


4.04  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

versary  on  the  main  road  from  Hanovertown  toward  Rich 
mond.  For  the  third  time,  thus,  General  Grant  had  found 
his  adversary  in  his  path ;  and  no  generalship,  or  rapidity  in 
the  movement  of  his  column,  seemed  sufficient  to  secure  to 
him  the  advantages  of  a  surprise.  On  each  occasion  the 
march  of  the  Federal  army  had  taken  place  in  the  night ; 
from  the  Wilderness  on  the  night  of  May  7th ;  from  Spott- 
sylvania  on  the  night  of  May  21st ;  and  from  near  the  North 
Anna  on  the  night  of  May  26th.  Lee  had  imitated  these 
movements  of  his  opponent,  interposing  on  each  occasion, 
at  the  critical  moment,  in  his  path,  and  inviting  battle. 
This  last  statement  may  be  regarded  as  too  strongly  ex 
pressed,  as  it  seems  the  opinion  of  Northern  writers  that 
Lee,  in  these  movements,  aimed  only  to  maintain  a  strict 
defensive,  and,  by  means  of  breastworks,  simply  keep  his 
adversary  at  arm's  length.  This  is  an  entire  mistake.  Con 
fident  of  the  efficiency  of  his  army,  small  as  it  was,  he  was 
always  desirous  to  bring  on  a  decisive  action,  under  favor 
able  circumstances.  General  Early  bears  his  testimony  to 
the  truth  of  this  statement.  "I  happen  to  know,"  says 
this  officer,  "that  General  Lee  had  always  the  greatest 
anxiety  to  strike  at  Grant  in  the  open  field."  During  the 
whole  movement  from  the  Wilderness  to  Cold  Harbor,  the 
Confederate  commander  was  in  excellent  spirits.  When 
at  Hanover  Junction  he  spoke  of  the  situation  almost  jo 
cosely,  and  said  to  the  venerable  Dr.  Gwathmey,  speaking 
of  General  Grant,  "  If  I  can  get  one  more  pull  at  him,  I 
will  defeat  him." 

This  expression  does  not  seem  to  indicate  any  depression 
or  want  of  confidence  in  his  ability  to  meet  General  Grant 
in  an  open  pitched  battle.  It  may,  however,  be  asked  why, 


SPOTTSYLYANIA  TO  THE  CHICKAHOMINY.         4Q5 

if  such  were  Ms  desire,  lie  did  not  come  out  from  behind 
his  breastworks  and  fight.  The  reply  is,  that  General  Grant 
invariably  defended  his  lines  by  breastworks  as  powerful  as 
— in  many  cases  much  more  powerful  than — his  adversary's. 
The  opposing  mounds  of  earth  and  trees  along  the  routes 
of  the  two  armies  remain  to  prove  the  truth  of  what  is  here 
stated.  At  Cold  Harbor,  especially,  the  Federal  works  are 
veritable  forts.  In  face  of  them,  the  theory  that  Genera1 
Grant  uniformly  acted  upon  the  offensive,  without  fear  of 
offensive  operations  in  turn  on  the  part  of  Lee,  will  be  found 
untenable.  Nor  is  this  statement  made  with  the  view  of 
representing  General  Grant  as  over-cautious,  or  of  detracting 
from  his  merit  as  a  commander.  It  was,  on  the  contrary, 
highly  honorable  to  him,  that,  opposed  to  an  adversary  of 
such  ability,  he  should  have  neglected  nothing. 

Reaching  the  Tottapotomoi,  General  Grant  found  his 
opponent  in  a  strong  position  behind  that  sluggish  water 
course,  prepared  to  dispute  the  road  to  Richmond ;  and  it 
now  became  necessary  to  force  the  passage  in  his  front,  or, 
by  another  flank  march,  move  still  farther  to  the  left,  and 
endeavor  to  cross  the  Chickahominy  somewhere  in  the  vicin 
ity  of  Cold  Harbor.  This  last  operation  was  determined 
upon  by  General  Grant,  and,  sending  his  cavalry  toward 
Cold  Harbor,  he  moved  rapidly  in  the  same  direction  with 
his  infantry.  This  movement  was  discovered  at  once  by 
Lee  ;  he  sent  Longstreet's  corps  forward,  and,  when  the  Fed 
eral  army  arrived,  the  Southern  forces  were  drawn  up  in 
their  front,  between  them  and  Richmond,  thus  barring,  for 
the  fourth  time  in  the  campaign,  the  road  to  the  capital. 

During  these  movements,  nearly  continuous  fighting  had 
taken  place  between  the  opposing  columns,  which  clung  to 


406  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

each  other,  as  it  were,  each  shaping  its  march  more  or  less 
by  that  of  the  other.  At  last  they  had  reached  the  ground 
upon  which  the  obstinate  struggle  of  June,  1862,  had  taken 
place,  and  it  now  became  necessary  for  General  Grant 
either  to  form  some  new  plan  of  campaign,  or,  by  throwing 
his  whole  army,  in  one  great  mass,  against  his  adversary, 
break  through  all  obstacles,  cross  the  Chickahominy,  and 
seize  upon  Eichmond.  This  was  now  resolved  upon. 

Heavy  fighting  took  place  on  June  2d,  near  Bethesda 
Church  and  at  other  points,  while  the  armies  were  coming 
into  position  ;  but  this  was  felt  to  be  but  the  preface  to  the 
greater  struggle  which  General  Lee  now  clearly  divined.  It 
came  without  loss  of  time.  On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of 
June,  soon  after  daylight,  General  Grant  threw  his  whole 
army  straightforward  against  Lee's  front — all  along  his  line. 
The  conflict  which  followed  was  one  of  those  bloody  grap 
ples,  rather  than  battles,  which,  discarding  all  manoeuvring 
or  brain -work  in  the  commanders,  depend  for  the  result 
upon  the  brute  strength  of  the  forces  engaged.  The  action 
did  not  last  half  an  hour,  and,  in  that  time,  the  Federal 
loss  was  thirteen  thousand  men.  "When  General  Lee  sent  a 
messenger  to  A.  P.  Hill,  asking  the  result  of  the  assault  on 
his  part  of  the  line,  Hill  took  the  officer  with  him  in  front 
of  his  works,  and,  pointing  to  the  dead  bodies  which  were 
literally  lying  upon  each  other,  said :  "  Tell  General  Lee  it 
is  the  same  all  along  my  front." 

The  Federal  army  had,  indeed,  sustained  a  blow  so 
heavy,  that  even  the  constant  mind  and  fixed  resolution  of 
General  Grant  and  the  Federal  authorities  seem  to  have 
been  shaken.  The  war  seemed  hopeless  to  many  persons  in 
the  North  after  the  frightful  bloodshed  of  this  thirty  min- 


FROM  SPOTTSYLVANIA  TO  THE   CHICKAHOMINY.         4QT 

utes  at  Cold  Harbor,  of  which  fact  there  is  sufficient  proof. 
"  So  gloomy,"  says  a  Northern  historian,*  "  was  the  military 
outlook  after  the  action  on  the  Chickahominy,  and  to  such 
a  degree,  by  consequence,  had  the  moral  spring  of  the  pub 
lic  mind  become  relaxed,  that  there  was  at  this  time  great 
danger  of  a  collapse  of  the  war.  The  history  of  this  con 
flict,  truthfully  written,  will  show  this.  The  archives  of  the 
State  Department,  when  one  day  made  public,  will  show 
how  deeply  the  Government  was  affected  by  the  want  of 
military  success,  and  to  what  resolutions  the  Executive  had 
in  consequence^come.  Had  not  success  elsewhere  come  to 
brighten  the  horizon,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  have 
raised  new  forces  to  recruit  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
which,  shaken  in  its  structure,  its  valor  quenched  in  blood, 
and  thousands  of  its  ablest  officers  killed  and  wounded,  was 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  no  more." 

The  campaign  of  one  month — from  May  4th  to  June  4th 
— had  cost  the  Federal  commander  sixty  thousand  men  and 
three  thousand  officers — numbers  which  are  given  on  the 
authority  of  Federal  historians — while  the  loss  of  Lee  did 
not  exceed  eighteen  thousand.  The  result  would  seem  an 
unfavorable  comment  upon  the  choice  of  the  route  across 
the  country  from  Culpepper  instead  of  that  by  the  James. 
General  McClellan,  two  years  before,  had  reached  Cold 
Harbor  with  trifling  losses.  To  attain  the  same  point  had 
cost  General  Grant  a  frightful  number  of  lives.  Nor  could 
it  be  said  that  he  had  any  important  successes  to  offset  this 
loss.  He  had  not  defeated  his  adversary  in  any  of  the  bat 
tle-fields  of  the  campaign;  nor  did  it  seem  that  he  had 

*  Mr.  Swinton,  in  his  able  and  candid  "  Campaigns  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac." 


408  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

stricken  him  any  serious  blow.  The  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia,  not  reenforced  until  it  reached  Hanover  Junction, 
and  then  only  by  about  nine  thousand  men  under  Generals 
Breckinridge  and  Pickett,  had  held  its  ground  against  the 
large  force  opposed  to  it ;  had  repulsed  every  assault ;  and, 
in  a  final  trial  of  strength  with  a  force  largely  its  superior, 
had  inflicted  upon  the  enemy,  in  about  an  hour,  a  loss  of 
thirteen  thousand  men. 

These  facts,  highly  honorable  to  Lee  and  his  troops,  are 
the  plainest  and  most  compendious  comment  we  can  make 
upon  the  campaign.  The  whole  movement  of  General 
Grant  across  Virginia  is,  indeed,  now  conceded  even  by  his 
admirers  to  have  been  unfortunate.  It  failed  to  accomplish 
the  end  expected  from  it — the  investment  of  Richmond  on 
the  north  and  west — and  the  lives  of  about  sixty  thousand 
men  were,  it  would  seem,  unnecessarily  lost,  to  reach  a  posi 
tion  which  might  have  been  attained  with  losses  compara 
tively  trifling,  and  without  the  unfortunate  prestige  of  de 
feat. 


VL 

FIEST    BATTLES    AT    PETERSBURG. 

GENERAL  LEE  remained  facing  his  adversary  in  his  lines 
at  Cold  Harbor,  for  many  days  after  the  bloody  struggle  of 
the  3d  of  June,  confident  of  his  ability  to  repulse  any  new 
attack,  and  completely  barring  the  way  to  Eichmond.  The 
Federal  campaign,  it  was  now  seen,  was  at  an  end  on  that 
line,  and  it  was  obvious  that  General  Grant  must  adopt 
some  other  plan,  in  spite  of  his  determination  expressed  in 


FIRST  BATTLES  OF  PETERSBURG.  409 

the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  to  "  fight  it  out  on  that  line 
if  it  took  all  the  summer."  The  summer  was  but  begun, 
and  further  fighting  on  that  line  was  hopeless.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  Federal  commander  resolved  to  give  up 
the  attempt  to  assail  Richmond  from  the  north  or  east,  arid 
by  a  rapid  movement  to  Petersburg,  seize  upon  that  place, 
cut  the  Confederate  railroads  leading  southward,  and  thus 
compel  an  evacuation  of  the  capital. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  inquire  what  the  course  of 
General  Lee  would  have  been  in  the  event  of  the  success  of 
this  plan,  and  how  the  war  would  have  resulted.  It  would 
seem  that,  under  such  circumstances,  his  only  resource  would 
have  been  to  retire  with  his  army  in  the  direction  of  Lynch- 
burg,  where  his  communications  would  have  remained  open 
with  the  south  and  west.  If  driven  from  that  point,  the 
fastnesses  of  the  Alleghanies  were  at  hand  ;  and,  contemplat 
ing  afterward  the  possibility  of  being  forced  to  take  refuge 
there,  he  said :  "  With  my  army  in  the  mountains  of  Vir 
ginia,  I  could  carry  on  this  war  for  twenty  years  longer." 
That  spectacle  was  lost  to  the  world — Lee  and  his  army 
fighting  from  mountain  fastness  to  mountain  fastness — and 
the  annals  of  war  are  not  illustrated  by  a  chapter  so  strange. 
That  Lee  was  confident  of  his  ability  to  carry  on  such  a 
struggle  successfully  is  certain ;  and  Washington  had  con 
ceived  the  same  idea  in  the  old  Revolution,  when  he  said 
that  if  he  were  driven  from  the  seaboard  he  would  take 
refuge  in  West  Augusta,  and  thereby  prolong  the  war  inter 
minably. 

To  return  from  these  speculations  to  the  narrative  of 
events.  General  Grant  remained  in  front  of  Lee  until  the 

12th  of  June,  when,  moving  again  by  his  left  flank,  he 
28 


4:10  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

crossed  the  Chickahominy,  proceeded  in  the  direction  of  City 
Point,  at  which  place  the  Appomattox  and  James  Rivera 
mingle  their  waters,  and,  crossing  the  James  on  pontoons, 
hastened  forward  in  order  to  seize  npon  Petersburg.  This 
important  undertaking  had  been  strangely  neglected  by 
Major-Gen eral  Butler,  who,  in  obedience  to  General  Grant's 
orders,  had  sailed  from  Fortress  Monroe  on  the  4th  of  May, 
reached  Bermuda  Hundred,  the  peninsula  opposite  City 
Point,  made  by  a  remarkable  bend  in  James  River,  and 
proceeded  to  intrench  himself.  It  was  in  his  power  on  his 
arrival  to  have  seized  upon  Petersburg,  but  this  he  failed  to 
do  at  that  time,  and  the  appearance  of  a  force  under  General 
Beauregard,  from  the  south,  soon  induced  him  to  give  his 
entire  attention  to  his  own  safety.  An  attack  by  Beaure 
gard  had  been  promptly  made,  which  nearly  resulted  in  Gen 
eral  Butler's  destruction.  lie  succeeded,  however,  in  retiring 
behind  his  works  across  the  neck  of  the  Peninsula,  in  which 
he  now  found  himself  completely  shut  up  ;  and  so  powerless 
was  his  situation,  with  his  large  force  of  thirty  thousand 
men,  that  General  Grant  wrote,  "  His  army  was  as  com 
pletely  shut  off  .  .  .  .  as  if  it  had  been  in  a  bottle  strongly 
corked." 

The  attempt  of  General  Grant  to  seize  upon  Petersburg 
by  a  surprise  failed.  His  forces  were  not  able  to  reach  the 
vicinity  of  the  place  until  the  15th,  when  they  were  bravely 
opposed  behind  impromptu  works  by  a  body  of  local  troops, 
who  fought  like  regular  soldiers,  and  succeeded  in  holding 
the  works  until  night  ended  the  contest. 

"When  morning  came  long  lines  were  seen  defiling  into 
the  breastworks,  and  the  familiar  battle-flags  of  the  Army 
of  Northern  Virginia  rose  above  the  long  line  of  bayonets 


FIRST  BATTLES   OF  PETERSBURG 

giving  assurance  that  the  possession  of  Petersburg  would  be 
obstinately  disputed. 

General  Lee  had  moved  with  his  accustomed  celerity, 
and,  as  usual,  without  that  loss  of  time  which  results  from 
doubt  of  an  adversary's  intentions.  If  General  Grant  re 
tired  without  another  battle  on  the  Chickahominy,  it  was 
obvious  to  Lee  that  he  must  design  one  of  two  things :  either 
to  advance  upon  Richmond  from  the  direction  of  Charles 
City,  or  attempt  a  campaign  against  the  capital  from  the 
south  of  James  River.  Lee  seems  at  once  to  have  satisfied 
himself  that  the  latter  was  the  design.  An  inconsiderable 
force  was  sent  to  feel  the  enemy  near  the  White-Oak  Swamp  ; 
he  was  encountered  there  in  some  force,  but,  satisfied  that 
this  was  a  feint  to  mislead  him,  General  Lee  proceeded  to 
cross  the  James  River  above  Drury's  Bluff,  near  "Wilton," 
and  concentrate  his  army  at  Petersburg.  On  the  16th  he 
was  in  face  of  his  adversary  there.  General  Grant  had 
adopted  the  plan  of  campaign  which  Lee  expected  him  to 
adopt.  General  McClellan  had  not  been  permitted  in  1862 
to  carry  out  the  same  plan ;  it  was  now  undertaken  by  Gen 
eral  Grant,  who  sustained  better  relations  toward  the  Gov 
ernment,  and  the  result  would  seem  to  indicate  that  General 
McClellan  was,  after  all,  a  soldier  of  sound  views. 

As  soon  as  General  Lee  reached  Petersburg,  he  began 
promptly  to  draw  a  regular  line  of  earthworks  around  the 
city,  to  the  east  and  south,  for  its  defence.  It  was  obvious 
that  General  Grant  would  lose  no  time  in  striking  at  him, 
in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  slight  character  of  the 
defences  already  existing ;  and  this  anticipation  was  speed 
ily  realized.  General  Lee  had  scarcely  gotten  his  forces  in 
position  on  the  16th  when  he  was  furiously  attacked,  and 


4:12  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

siicli  was  the  weight  of  this  assault  that  Lee  was  forced  from 
his  advanced  position,  east  of  the  city,  behind  his  second 
line  of  works,  by  this  time  well  forward  in  process  of  con 
struction.  Against  this  new  line  General  Grant  threw 
heavy  forces,  in  attack  after  attack,  on  the  17th  and  18th, 
losing,  it  is  said,  more  than  four  thousand  men,  but  effect 
ing  nothing.  On  the  21st  General  Lee  was  called  upon  to 
meet  a  more  formidable  assault  than  any  of  the  preceding 
ones — this  time  more  to  his  right,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Weldon  Railroad,  which  runs  southward  from  Petersburg. 
A  heavy  line  was  advanced  in  that  quarter  by  the  enemy ; 
but,  observing  that  an  interval  had  been  left  between  two 
of  their  corps,  General  Lee  threw  forward  a  column  under 
General  Hill,  cut  the  Federal  lines,  and  repulsed  their  at 
tack,  bearing  off  nearly  three  thousand  prisoners. 

On  the  same  night  an  important  cavalry  expedition, 
consisting  of  the  divisions  of  General  Wilson  and  Kautz, 
numbering  about  six  thousand  horse,  was  sent  westward  to 
cut  the  "Weldon,  Southside,  and  Danville  Railroads,  which 
connected  the  Southern  army  with  the  South  and  West. 
This  raid  resulted  in  apparently  great  but  really  unimpor 
tant  injury  to  the  Confederate  communications  against  which 
it  was  directed.  The  Federal  cavalry  tore  up  large  portions 
of  the  tracks  of  all  three  railroads,  burning  the  wood-work, 
and  laying  waste  the  country  around ;  but  the  further  re 
sults  of  the  expedition  were  unfavorable.  They  were  pursued 
and  harassed  by  a  small  body  of  cavalry  under  General  W. 
H.  F.  Lee,  and,  on  their  return  in  the  direction  of  Reams's 
Station,  were  met  near  Sapponey  Church  by  a  force  of 
fifteen  hundred  cavalry  under  General  Hampton.  That 
energetic  officer  at  once  attacked;  the  fighting  continued 


FIRST  BATTLES  OF  PETERSBURG.  413 

furiously  throughout  the  entire  night,  and  at  dawn  the  Fed 
eral  horse  retreated  in  confusion.  Their  misfortunes  were 
not,  however,  ended.  Near  Reams's,  at  which  point  they 
attempted  to  cross  the  Weldon  Railroad,  they  were  met  by 
General  Fitz  Lee's  horsemen  and  about  two  hundred  in 
fantry  under  General  Mahone,  and  this  force  completed 
their  discomfiture.  After  a  brief  attempt  to  force  their  way 
through  the  unforeseen  obstacle,  they  broke  in  disorder, 
leaving  behind  them  twelve  pieces  of  artillery,  and  more 
than  a  thousand  prisoners,  and,  with  foaming  and  exhausted 
horses,  regained  the  Federal  lines. 

Such  was  the  result  of  an  expedition  from  which  Gen 
eral  Grant  probably  expected  much.  The  damage  done  to 
Lee's  communications  was  inconsiderable,  and  did  not  repay 
the  Federal  commander  for  the  losses  sustained.  The  rail 
roads  were  soon  repaired  and  in  working  order  again  ;  and 
the  Federal  cavalry  was  for  the  time  rendered  unfit  for  fur 
ther  operations. 

It  was  now  the  end  of  June,  and  every  attempt  made  by 
General  Grant  to  force  Lee's  lines  had  proved  unsuccessful. 
It  was  apparent  that  surprise  of  the  able  commander  of  the 
Confederate  army  was  hopeless.  His  works  were  growing 
stronger  every  day,  and  nothing  was  left  to  his  great  ad 
versary  but  to  lay  regular  siege  to  the  long  line  of  fortifica 
tions  ;  to  draw  lines  for  the  protection  of  his  own  front  from 
attack ;  and,  by  gradually  extending  his  left,  reach  out  tow 
ard  the  Weldon  and  Southside  Railroads. 

To  obtain  possession  of  these  roads  was  from  this  time 
General  Grant's  great  object ;  and  all  his  movements  were 
shaped  by  that  paramount  consideration. 


414:  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

YII. 
THE    SIEGE    OF    EICHMOND    BEGUN. 

THE  first  days  of  July,  1864,  witnessed,  at  Petersburg, 
the  commencement  of  a  series  of  military  manoeuvres,  for 
which  few,  if  any,  precedents  existed  in  all  the  annals  of 
war.  An  army  of  forty  or  fifty  thousand  men,  intrenched 
along  a  line  extending  finally  over  a  distance  of  nearly  forty 
miles,  was  defending,  against  a  force  of  about  thrice  its  num 
bers,  a  capital  more  than  twenty  miles  in  its  rear ;  and,  from 
July  of  one  year  to  April  of  the  next,  there  never  was  a  mo 
ment  when,  to  have  broken  through  this  line,  would  not 
have  terminated  the  war,  and  resulted  in  the  destruction  of 
the  Confederacy. 

A  few  words  in  reference  to  the  topography  of  the  coun 
try  and  the  situation  will  show  this.  Petersburg  is  twenty- 
two  miles  south  of  Richmond,  and  is  connected  with  the 
South  and  "West  by  the  Weldon  and  Southside  Railroads, 
which  latter  road  crosses  the  Danville  Railroad,  the  main 
line  of  communication  between  the  capital  and  the  Gulf 
States.  "With  the  enemy  once  holding  these  roads  and  those 
north  of  the  city,  as  they  were  preparing  to  do,  the  capital 
would  be  isolated,  and  the  Confederate  Government  must 
evacuate  Virginia.  In  that  event  the  Army  of  Northern 
Yirginia  had  also  nothing  left  to  it  but  retreat.  Virginia 
must  be  abandoned;  the  Federal  authority  would  be  ex 
tended  over  the  oldest  and  one  of  the  largest  and  most  im 
portant  members  of  the  Confederacy;  and,  under  circum 
stances  so  adverse,  it  might  well  be  a  question  whether, 
disheartened  as  they  would  be  by  the  loss  of  so  powerful  an 


THE  SIEGE  OF  RICHMOND  BEGUN.  415 

ally,  the  other  States  of  the  Confederacy  would  have  suffi 
cient  resolution  to  continue  the  contest. 

These  considerations  are  said  to  have  been  fully  weighed 
by  General  Lee,  whose  far-reaching  military  sagacity  divined 
the  exact  situation  of  affairs,  and  the  probable  results  of  a 
conflict  so  unequal  as  that  which  General  Grant  now  forced 
upon  him.  "We  have  noticed,  on  a  preceding  page,  his  opin 
ions  upon  this  subject,  expressed  to  a  confidential  friend  as 
far  back  as  1862.  He  then  declared  that  the  true  line  of 
assault  upon  Richmond  was  that  now  adopted  by  General 
Grant.  As  long  as  the  capital  was  assailed  from  the  north 
or  the  east,  he  might  hope  with  some  reason,  by  hard  fight 
ing,  to  repulse  the  assault,  and  hold  Richmond.  But,  with 
an  enemy  at  Petersburg,  threatening  with  a  large  force  the 
Southern  railroads,  it  was  obviously  only  a  question  of  time 
when  Richmond,  and  consequently  Virginia,  must  be  aban 
doned. 

General  Lee,  we  repeat,  fully  realized  the  facts  here 
stated,  when  his  adversary,  giving  up  all  other  lines,  crossed 
James  River  to  Petersburg.  Lee  is  said,  we  know  not 
with  what  truth,  to  have  coolly  recommended  an  evacu 
ation  of  Richmond.  But  this  met  with  no  favor.  A  pow 
erful  party,  including  both  the  friends  and  enemies  of  the 
Executive,  spoke  of  the  movement  as  a  "  pernicious  idea." 
If  recommended  by  Lee,  it  was  speedily  abandoned,  and  all 
the  energies  of  the  Government  were  concentrated  upon  the 
difficult  task  of  holding  the  enemy  at  arm's  length  south  of 
the  Appomattox  and  in  Charles  City. 

In  a  few  weeks  after  the  appearance  of  the  adversaries 
opposite  each  other  at  Petersburg,  the  lines  of  leaguer  and 
defence  were  drawn,  and  the  long  struggle  began.  General 

TNJVEKSITY 


4:16  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

Grant  had  crossed  a  force  into  Charles  City,  on  the  north 
bank  of  James  River,  and  thus  menaced  Richmond  with  an 
assault  from  that  quarter.  His  line  extended  thence  across 
the  neck  of  the  Peninsula  of  Bermuda  Hundred,  and  east 
and  south  of  Petersburg,  where,  day  by  day,  it  gradually 
reached  westward,  approaching  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
railroads  feeding  the  Southern  army  and  capital.  Lee's  line 
conformed  itself  to  that  of  his  adversary.  In  addition  to 
the  works  east  and  southeast  of  Richmond,  an  exterior  chain 
of  defences  had  been  drawn,  facing  the  hostile  force  near 
Deep  Bottom ;  and  the  river  at  Drury's  Bluff,  a  fortification 
of  some  strength,  had  been  guarded,  by  sunken  obstructions, 
against  the  approach  of  the  Federal  gunboats.  The  South 
ern  lines  then  continued,  facing  those  of  the  enemy  north 
of  the  Appomattox,  and,  crossing  that  stream,  extended 
around  the  city  of  Petersburg,  gradually  moving  westward 
in  conformity  with  the  works  of  General  Grant.  A  glance 
at  the  accompanying  diagram  will  clearly  indicate  the  posi 
tions  and  relations  to  each  other  of  the  Federal  and  Confed 
erate  works.  These  will  show  that  the  real  struggle  was 
anticipated,  by  both  commanders,  west  of  Petersburg ;  and, 
as  the  days  wore  on,  it  was  more  and  more  apparent  that 
somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  Dinwiddie  Court-House  the 
last  great  wrestle  of  the  opposing  armies  must  take  place. 

To  that  conclusive  trial  of  strength  we  shall  advance 
with  as  few  interruptions  as  possible.  The  operations  of  the 
two  armies  at  Petersburg  do  not  possess,  for  the  general 
reader,  that  dramatic  interest  which  is  found  in  battles  such 
as  those  of  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg,  deciding  for 
the  time  the  fates  of  great  campaigns.  At  Petersburg  the 
fighting  seemed  to  decide  little,  and  the  bloody  collisions 


LEE  THREATENS  WASHINGTON. 

had  no  names.  The  day  of  pitched  battles,  indeed,  seemed 
past.  It  was  one  long  battle,  day  and  night,  week  after 
week,  and  month  after  month — during  the  heat  of  summer, 
the  sad  hours  of  autumn,  and  the  cold  days  and  nights  of 
winter.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  siege  of  Richmond  which  Gen 
eral  Grant  had  undertaken,  and  the  fighting  consisted  less 
of  battles,  in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  that  word,  than 
of  attempts  to  break  through  the  lines  of  his  adversary — 
now  north  of  James  River,  now  east  of  Petersburg,  now  at 
some  point  in  the  long  chain  of  redans  which  guarded  the 
approaches  to  the  coveted  Southside  Railroad,  which,  once 
in  possession  of  the  Federal  commander,  would  give  him 
victory. 

Of  this  long,  obstinate,  and  bloody  struggle  we  shall  de 
scribe  only  those  prominent  incidents  which  rose  above  the 
rest  with  a  species  of  dramatic  splendor.  For  the  full  nar 
rative  the  reader  must  have  recourse  to  military  histories 
aiming  to  chronicle  the  operations  of  each  corps,  division, 
and  brigade  in  the  two  armies — a  minuteness  of  detail  be 
yond  our  scope,  and  probably  not  desired  by  those  who  will 
peruse  these  pages. 


YIII. 

I  LEE    THREATENS    WASHINGTON. 

THE  month  of  July  began  and  went  upon  its  way,  with 
incessant  fighting  all  along  the  Confederate  front,  both 
north  of  James  River  and  south  of  the  Appomattox.  Gen 
eral  Grant  was  thus  engaged  in  the  persistent  effort  to,  at 
Borne  point,  break  through  his  opponent's  works,  when  in- 


418  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

telligence  suddenly  reached  him,  by  telegraph  from  Wash 
ington,  that  a  strong  Confederate  column  had  advanced 
down  the  Shenandoah  Yalley,  crossed  the  Potomac,  and 
was  rapidly  moving  eastward  in  the  direction  of  the  Fed 
eral  capital. 

This  portentous  incident  was  the  result  of  a  plan  of 
great  boldness  devised  by  General  Lee,  from  which  he  ex 
pected  much.  A  few  words  will  explain  this  plan. 

A  portion  of  General  Grant's  plan  of  campaign  had 
been  an  advance  up  the  Yalley,  and  another  from  Western 
Virginia,  toward  the  Lynchburg  and  Tennessee  Railroad — 
the  two  columns  to  cooperate  with  the  main  army  by  cut 
ting  the  Confederate  communications.  The  column  in 
Western  Yirginia  effected  little,  but  that  in  the  Yalley, 
under  General  Hunter,  hastened  forward,  almost  unop 
posed,  from  the  small  numbers  of  the  Southern  force,  and 
early  in  June  threatened  Lynchburg.  The  news  reached 
Lee  at  Cold  Harbor  soon  after  his  battle  there  with  General 
Grant,  and  he  promptly  detached  General  Early,  at  the 
head  of  about  eight  thousand  men,  with  orders  to  "  move 
to  the  Yalley  through  Swift-Run  Gap,  or  Brown's  Gap, 
attack  Hunter,  and  then  cross  the  Potomac  and  threaten 
Washington."  * 

General  Early,  an  officer  of  great  energy  and  intrepidity, 
moved  without  loss  of  time,  and  an  engagement  ensued  be 
tween  him  and  General  Hunter  near  Lynchburg.  The  bat 
tle  was  soon  decided.  General  Hunter,  who  had  more  cru 
elly  oppressed  the  inhabitants  of  the  Yalley  than  even  Gen 
eral  Milroy,  was  completely  defeated,  driven  in  disordered 
flight  toward  the  Ohio,  and  Early  hastened  down  the  Yalley, 

*  This  statement  of  his  orders  was  derived  from  Lieutenant-General  Early. 


LEE  THREATENS  WASHINGTON.  419 

and  thence  into  Maryland,  with  the  view  of  threatening 
Washington,  as  he  had  been  ordered  to  do  by  Lee.  His 
march  was  exceedingly  rapid,  and  he  found  the  road  unob 
structed  until  he  reached  the  Monocacy  near  Frederick  City, 
where  he  was  opposed  by  a  force  under  General  "Wallace. 
This  force  he  attacked,  and  soon  drove  from  the  field ;  he 
then  pressed  forward,  and  on  the  llth  of  July  came  in  sight 
of  Washington. 

It  was  the  intelligence  of  this  advance  of  a  Confederate 
force  into  Maryland,  and  toward  the  capital,  which  came  to 
startle  General  Grant  while  he  was  hotly  engaged  with  Lee 
at  Petersburg.  The  Washington  authorities  seem  to  have 
been  completely  unnerved,  and  to  have  regarded  the  cap 
ture  of  the  city  as  nearly  inevitable.  General  Grant,  how 
ever,  stood  firm,  and  did  net  permit  the  terror  of  the  civil 
authorities  to  affect  him.  He  sent  forward  to  Washington 
two  army  corps,  and  these  arrived  just  in  time.  If  it  had 
been  in  the  power  of  General  Early  to  capture  Washington 
— which  seems  questionable — the  opportunity  was  lost.  He 
found  himself  compelled  to  retire  across  the  Potomac  again 
to  avoid  an  attack  in  his  rear ;  and  this  he  effected  without 
loss,  taking  up,  in  accordance  with  orders  from  Lee,  a  posi 
tion  in  the  Yalley,  where  he  remained  for  some  months  a 
standing  threat  to  the  enemy. 

Such  was  the  famous  march  of  General  Early  to  "Wash 
ington  ;  and  there  seems  at  present  little  reason  to  doubt  that 
the  Federal  capital  had  a  narrow  escape  from  capture  by  the 
Confederates.  "What  the  result  of  so  singular  an  event 
would  have  been,  it  is  difficult  to  say ;  but  it  is  certain  that 
it  would  have  put  an  end  to  General  Grant's  entire  campaign 
at  Petersburg.  Then — but  speculations  of  this  character 


420  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

are  simply  loss  of  time.  The  city  was  not  captured ;  the 
war  went  upon  its  way,  and  was  destined  to  terminate  by 
pure  exhaustion  of  one  of  the  combatants,  unaffected  by 
coups  de  main  in  any  part  of  the  theatre  of  conflict. 

We  have  briefly  spoken  of  the  engagement  between 
Generals  Early  and  Hunter,  near  Lynchburg,  and  the  ab 
rupt  retreat  of  the  latter  to  the  western  mountains  and 
thence  toward  the  Ohio.  It  may  interest'  the  reader  to 
know  General  Lee's  views  on  the  subject  of  this  retreat, 
which,  it  seems,  were  drawn  from  him  by  a  letter  addressed 
to  him  by  General  Hunter : 

"As  soon  after  the  war  as  mail  communications  were  opened," 
writes  the  gentleman  of  high  character  from  whom  we  derive  this  in 
cident,  "  General  David  Hunter  wrote  to  General  Lee,  begging  that  he 
would  answer  him  frankly  on  two  points : 

"  *  I.  His  (Hunter's)  campaign  in  1864  was  undertaken  on  informa 
tion  received  by  General  Halleck  that  General  Lee  was  about  to  de 
tach  forty  thousand  picked  troops  to  send  to  Georgia.  Did  not  his 
(Hunter's)  move  prevent  this  ? 

"  *  H.  When  he  found  it  necessary  to  retreat  from  Lynchburg,  did 
he  not  take  the  most  feasible  route  ? ' 

"  General  Lee  wrote  a  very  courteous  reply,  in  which  he  said : 

"  *  I.  General  Halleck  was  misinformed.  I  had  no  troops  to  spare, 
and  forty  thousand  would  have  taken  nearly  my  whole  army. 

" '  H.  I  am  not  advised  as  to  the  motives  which  induced  you  to 
adopt  your  line  of  retreat,  and  am  not,  perhaps,  competent  to  judge  of 
the  question ;  "but  I  certainly  expected,  you  to  retreat  "by  way  of  the  She- 
nandoah  Valley.' 

"  General  Hunter,"  adds  our  correspondent,  "  never  published  this 
letter,  but  I  heard  General  Lee  tell  of  it  one  day  with  evident  pleasure.*" 

Lee's  opinion  of  the  military  abilities  of  both  Generals 
Hunter  and  Sheridan  was  indeed  far  from  flattering.  He 


THE  MINE  EXPLOSION. 


regarded  those  two  commanders  —  especially  General  Sheri 
dan  —  as  enjoying  reputations  solely  conferred  upon  them  by 
the  exhaustion  of  the  resources  of  the  Confederacy,  and  not 
warranted  by  any  military  efficiency  in  themselves. 


IX. 

THE    MINE    EXPLOSION. 

THE  end  of  the  month  of  July  was  now  approaching, 
and  every  attempt  made  by  General  Grant  to  break  through 
Lee's  lines  had  resulted  in  failure.  At  every  point  which 
he  assailed,  an  armed  force,  sufficient  to  repulse  his  most 
vigorous  attacks,  seemed  to  spring  from  the  earth ;  and  no 
movement  of  the  Federal  forces,  however  sudden  and  rapid, 
had  been  able  to  take  the  Confederate  commander  un 
awares.  The  campaign  was  apparently  settling  down  into 
stubborn  fighting,  day  and  night,  in  which  the  object  of 
General  Grant  was  to  carry  out  his  programme  of  attrition. 
Such  was  the  feeling  in  both  armies  when,  at  dawn  on  the 
30th  of  July,  a  loud  explosion,  heard  for  thirty  miles,  took 
place  on  the  lines  near  Petersburg,  and  a  vast  column  of 
smoke,  shooting  upward  to  a  great  height,  seemed  to  indicate 
the  blowing  up  of  an  extensive  magazine. 

Instead  of  a  magazine,  it  was  a  mine  which  had  thus 
been  exploded ;  and  the  incident  was  not  the  least  singular 
of  a  campaign  unlike  any  which  had  preceded  it. 

The  plan  of  forming  a  breach  in  the  Southern  works,  b} 
exploding  a  mine  beneath  them,  is  said  by  North ern  writers 
to  have  originated  with  a  subordinate  officer  of  the  Federal 


4:22  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

army,  who,  observing  the  close  proximity  of  the  opposing 
works  near  Petersburg,  conceived  it  feasible  to  construct  a 
subterranean  gallery,  reaching  beneath  those  of  General 
Lee.  The  undertaking  was  begun,  the  earth  being  carried 
off  in  cracker-boxes;  and  such  was  the  steady  persistence 
of  the  workmen  that  a  gallery  five  hundred  feet  long,  with 
lateral  openings  beneath  the  Confederate  works,  was  soon 
finished ;  and  in  these  lateral  recesses  was  placed  a  large 
amount  of  powder. 

All  was  now  ready,  and  the  question  was  how  to  utilize 
the  explosion.  General  Grant  decided  to  follow  it  by  a 
sudden  charge  through  the  breach,  seize  a  crest  in  rear,  and 
thus  interpose  a  force  directly  in  the  centre  of  Lee's  line. 
A  singular  discussion,  however,  arose,  and  caused  some 
embarrassment.  Should  the  assaulting  column  consist  of 
white  or  negro  troops?  This  question  was  decided,  ^Gen 
eral  Grant  afterward  declared,  by  "pulling  straws  or  toss 
ing  coppers " — the  white  troops  were  the  fortunate  or  un 
fortunate  ones — and  on  the  morning  of  July  30th  the  mine 
was  exploded.  The  effect  was  frightful,  and  the  incident 
will  long  be  remembered  by  those  present  and  escaping  un 
harmed.  The  small  Southern  force  and  artillery  imme 
diately  above  the  mine  were  hurled  into  the  air.  An  open 
ing,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  sixty  feet  wide,  and 
thirty  feet  deep,  suddenly  appeared,  where  a  moment  before 
had  extended  the  Confederate  earthworks  ;  and  the  Federal 
division,  selected  for  the  charge,  rushed  forward  to  pierce 
the  opening. 

The  result  did  not  justify  the  sanguine  expectations 
which  seem  to  have  been  excited  in  the  breasts  of  the  Federal 
officers.  A  Southern  writer  thus  describes  what  ensued: 


THE   MINE  EXPLOSION.  433 

"  The '  white  division '  charged,  reached  the  crater,  stumbled 
over  the  debris^  were  suddenly  met  by  a  merciless  fire  of  ar 
tillery,  enfilading  them  right  and  left,  and  of  infantry  fusil 
lading  them  in  front ;  faltered,  hesitated,  were  badly  led,  lost 
heart,  gave  up  the  plan  of  seizing  the  crest  in  rear,  huddled 
into  the  crater,  man  on  top  of  man,  company  mingled  with 
company;  and  upon  this  disordered,  unstrung,  quivering 
mass  of  human  beings,  white  and  black — for  the  black 
troops  had  followed — was  poured  a  hurricane  of  shot,  shell, 
canister,  musketry,  which  made  the  hideous  crater  a  slaugh 
ter-pen,  horrible  and  frightful  beyond  the  power  of  words. 
All  order  was  lost ;  all  idea  of  charging  the  crest  abandoned. 
Lee's  infantry  was  seen  concentrating  for  the  carnival  of 
death;  his  artillery  was  massing  to  destroy  the  remnants 
of  the  charging  divisions ;  those  who  deserted  the  crater,  to 
scramble  over  the  debris  and  run  back,  were  shot  down  ; 
then  all  that  was  left  to  the  shuddering  mass  of  blacks  and 
whites  in  the  pit  was  to  shrink  lower,  evade  the  horrible 
mitraille,  and  wait  for  a  charge  of  their  friends  to  rescue 
them  or  surrender." 

These  sentences  sufficiently  describe  the  painful  scene 
which  followed  the  explosion  of  the  mine.  The  charging 
column  was  unable  to  advance  in  face  of  the  very  heavy  fire 
directed  upon  them  by  the  Southern  infantry  and  artillery  ; 
and  the  effect  of  this  fire  was  so  appalling  that  General  Ma- 
hone,  commanding  at  the  spot,  is  said  to  have  ordered  it  to 
cease,  adding  that  the  spectacle  made  him  sick.  The  Fed 
eral  forces  finally  succeeded  in  making  their  way  back,  with 
a  loss  of  about  four  thousand  prisoners ;  and  General  Lee, 
whose  losses  had  been  small,  reestablished  his  line  without 
interruption. 


424:  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST   DAYS. 

Before  passing  from  this  incident,  a  singular  circumstance 
connected  with  it  is  deserving  of  mention.  This  was  the 
declaration  of  the  Congressional  Committee,  which  in  due 
time  investigated  the  whole  affair. 

The  conclusion  of  the  committee  was  not  flattering  to  the 
veteran  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  report  declared  that 
"  the  first  and  great  cause  of  disaster  was  the  employment 
of  white  instead  of  black  troops  to  make  the  charge." 


X. 

END    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN    OF    1864. 

THROUGHOUT  the  months  of  August  and  September,  Lee 
continued  to  be  attacked  at  various  points  along  his  entire 
front,  but  succeeded  in  repulsing  every  assault.  General 
Grant's  design  may  be  said,  in  general  terms,  to  have  been 
a  steady  extension  of  his  left  toward  the  Confederate  com 
munications  west  of  Petersburg,  while  taking  the  chances, 
by  attacks  north  of  James  River,  to  break  through  in  that 
quarter  and  seize  upon  Richmond.  It  is  probable  that  his 
hopes  of  effecting  the  last-mentioned  object  were  small ;  but 
operations  in  that  direction  promised  the  more  probable  re 
sult  of  causing  Lee  to  weaken  his  right,  and  thus  uncover 
the  Southside  Railroad. 

An  indecisive  attack  on  the  north  of  James  River  was 
followed,  toward  the  end  of  August,  by  a  heavy  advance,  to 
seize  upon  the  Weldon  Railroad  near  Petersburg.  In  this 
General  Grant  succeeded,  an  event  clearly  foreseen  by  Lee, 


END   OF  THE   CAMPAIGN  OF   1864.  425 

who  had  long  before  informed  the  authorities  that  he  could 
not  hold  this  road.  General  Grant  followed  up  this  success 
by  sending  heavy  forces  to  seize  Reams's  Station,  on  the 
same  road,  farther  south,  and  afterward  to  destroy  it  to 
Hicksford — which,  however,  effected  less  favorable  results, 
Lee  meeting  and  defeating  both  forces  after  obstinate  en 
gagements,  in  which  the  Federal  troops  lost  heavily,  and 
were  compelled  to  retreat. 

These  varying  successes  did  not,  however,  materially  af 
fect  the  general  result.  The  Federal  left  gradually  reached 
farther  and  farther  westward,  until  finally  it  had  passed  the 
Vaughan,  Squirrel  Level,  and  other  roads,  running  south- 
westward  from  Petersburg,  and  in  October  was  established 
on  the  left  bank  of  Hatcher's  Run,  which  unites  with  Grav 
elly  Run  to  form  the  Rowanty.  It  was  now  obvious  that  a 
further  extension  of  the  Federal  left  would  probably  enable 
General  Grant  to  seize  upon  the  Southside  Railroad.  An 
energetic  attempt  was  speedily  made  by  him  to  effect  this 
important  object,  to  which  it  is  said  he  attached  great  im 
portance  from  its  anticipated  bearing  on  the  approaching 
presidential  election. 

On  the  27th  of  October  a  heavy  column  was  thrown 
across  Hatcher's  Run,  in  the  vicinity  of  Burgess's  Mill,  on 
the  Boydton  Road,  and  an  obstinate  attack  was  made  on 
Lee's  lines  there  with  the  view  of  breaking  through  to  the 
Southside  Road.  In  this,  however,  General  Grant  did  not 
succeed.  His  column  was  met  in  front  and  flank  by  Gen 
erals  Hampton — who  here  lost  his  brave  son,  Preston — and 
W.  H.  F.  Lee,  with  dismounted  sharp-shooters;  infantry 
was  hastened  to  the  threatened  point  by  General  Lee,  and, 

after  an  obstinate  struggle,  the  Federal  force  was  driven 
29 


1-26  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST   DAYS. 

back,  General  Lee  reporting  that  General  Mahone  charged 
and  "  broke  three  lines  of  battle."  * 

With  this  repulse  of  the  Federal  forces  terminated  active 
operations  of  importance  for  the  year ;  and  but  one  other 
attempt  was  made,  during  the  winter,  to  gain  ground  on 
the  left.  This  took  place  early  in  February,  and  resulted  in 
failure  like  the  former — the  Confederates  losing,  however, 
the  brave  General  John  Pegram. 

The  presidential  election  at  the  North  had  been  decided 

*  Dispatch  of  Lee,  October  28,  1864. — It  was  the  habit  of  General  Lee, 
throughout  the  last  campaign  of  the  war,  to  send  to  Richmond,  from  time  to 
time,  brief  dispatches  announcing  whatever  occurred  along  the  lines  ;  and  these, 
in  the  absence  of  official  reports  of  these  occurrences  on  the  Confederate  side, 
are  valuable  records  of  the  progress  of  affairs.  These  brief  summaries  are  reli 
able  from  the  absence  of  all  exaggeration,  but  cannot  be  depended  upon  by  the 
historian,  for  a  very  singular  reason,  namely,  that  almost  invariably  the  Con 
federate  successes  are  understated.  On  the  present  occasion,  the  Federal  loss 
in  prisoners  near  Burgess's  Mill  and  east  of  Richmond — where  General  Grant  had 
attacked  at  the  same  time  to  effect  a  diversion — are  put  down  by  General  Lee 
at  eight  hundred,  whereas  thirteen  hundred  and  sixty-five  were  received  at 
Richmond. 

Lee's  dispatch  of  October  28th  is  here  given,  as  a  specimen  of  these  brief 
military  reports. 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 
October  28,  1864.  ) 

Hon.  Secretary  of  War : 

General  Hill  reports  that  the  attack  of  General  Heth  upon  the  enemy  on  the 
Boydton  Plank-road,  mentioned  hi  my  dispatch  last  evening,  was  made  by  three 
brigades  under  General  Mahone  in  front,  and  General  Hampton  in  the  rear. 
Mahone  captured  four  hundred  prisoners,  three  stand  of  colors,  and  six  pieces 
of  artillery.  The  latter  could  not  be  brought  off,  the  enemy  having  possession 
of  the  bridge. 

In  the  attack  subsequently  made  by  the  enemy  General  Mahone  broke  three 
lines  of  battle,  and  during  the  night  the  enemy  retreated  from  the  Boydton  Road, 
leaving  his  wounded  and  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  dead  on  the  field. 

About  nine  o'clock  P.  M.  a  small  force  assaulted  and  took  possession  of  our 
works  on  the  Baxter  Road,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  but  were  soon  driven  out. 

On  the  Williamsburg  Road  General  Field  captared  upward  of  four  hundred 
prisoners  and  seven  stand  of  colors.  The  enemy  left  a  number  of  dead  in  front 

of  our  works,  and  to-day  retreated  to  his  former  position. 

R.  E.  LFK 


LEE  IN  THE  WINTER   OP   1864-'65.  427 

in  favor  of  Mr.  Lincoln — General  McClellan  and  Mr.  Pen- 
dleton,  the  supposed  advocates  of  peace,  suffering  defeat. 
The  significance  of  this  fact  was  unmistakable.  It  was  now 
seen  that  unless  the  Confederates  fought  their  way  to  inde 
pendence,  there  was  no  hope  of  a  favorable  termination  of 
the  war,  and  this  conclusion  was  courageously  faced  by  Gen 
eral  Lee.  The  outlook  for  the  coming  year  was  far  from 
encouraging ;  the  resources  of  the  Confederacy  were  steadily 
being  reduced  ;  her  coasts  were  blockaded  ;  her  armies  were 
diminishing  ;  discouragement  seemed  slowly  to  be  invading 
every  heart — but,  in  the  midst  of  this  general  foreboding, 
the  commander  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  retained 
an  august  composure ;  and,  conversing  with  one  of  the  South 
ern  Senators,  said,  "  For  myself,  I  intend  to  die  sword  in 
hand." 

That  his  sense  of  duty  did  not  afterward  permit  him  to 
do  so,  waa  perhaps  one  of  the  bitterest  pangs  of  his  whole 
life. 

XI. 

LEE   IN    THE   WINTER    OF   1864-'65. 

BEFOEE  entering  upon  the  narrative  of  the  last  and  de 
cisive  campaign  of  the  "war,  we  shall  speak  of  the  personal 
demeanor  of  General  Lee  at  this  time,  and  endeavor  to  ac 
count  for  a  circumstance  which  astonished  many  persons — 
his  surprising  equanimity,  and  even  cheerfulness,  under  the 
piessure  of  cares  sufficient,  it  would  seem,  to  crush  the  most 
powerful  organization. 

He  had  established  his  headquarters  a  mile  or  two  west 
of  Petersburg,  on  the  Cox  Road,  nearly  opposite  his  centre, 


i28  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

and  here  lie  seemed  to  await  whatever  the  future  would 
bring  with  a  tranquillity  which  was  a  source  of  surprise  and 
admiration  to  all  who  were  thrown  in  contact  with  him. 
Many  persons  will  bear  their  testimony  to  this  extraordinary 
composure.  His  countenance  seldom,  if  ever,  exhibited  the 
least  traces  of  anxiety,  but  was  firm,  hopeful,  and  encouraged 
those  around  him  in  the  belief  that  he  was  still  confident 
of  success.  That  he  did  not,  however,  look  forward  with 
any  thing  like  hope  to  such  success,  we  have  endeavored 
already  to  show.  From  the  first,  he  seems  to  have  regarded 
his  situation,  unless  his  army  were  largely  reenforced,  as 
almost  desperate  ;  those  reinforcements  did  not  come  ;  and 
yet,  as  he  saw  his  numbers  day  by  day  decreasing,  and  Gen 
eral  Grant's  increasing  a  still  larger  ratio,  he  retained  his 
courage,  confronting  the  misfortunes  closing  in  upon  him 
with  unmoved  composure,  and  at  no  time  seemed  to  lose 
his  "  heart  of  hope." 

Of  this  phenomenon  the  explanation  has  been  sought  in 
the  constitutional  courage  of  the  individual,  and  that  instinc 
tive  rebound  against  fate  which  takes  place  in  great  organi 
zations.  This  explanation,  doubtless,  is  not  without  a  certain 
amount  of  truth  ;  but  an  attentive  consideration  of  the  prin 
ciples  which  guided  this  eminent  soldier  throughout  his 
career,  will  show  that  his  equanimity,  at  a  moment  so  try 
ing,  was  due  to  another  and  more  controlling  sentiment. 
This  sentiment  was  his  devotion  to  Duty — "  the  sublimest 
word  in  our  language."  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  had 
sought  to  discover  and  perform  his  duty,  without  regard  to 
consequences.  That  had  been  with  him  the  great  question 
in  April,  1861,  when  the  war  broke  out :  he  had  decided  in 
his  own  mind  what  he  ought  to  do,  and  had  not  hesitated. 


LEE   IN   THE   WINTER   OF    1864-'65.  429 

From  that  time  forward  he  continued  to  do  what  Duty  com 
manded  without  a  murmur.  In  the  obscure  campaign  of 
Western  Yirginia — in  the  unnoted  work  of  fortifying  the 
Southern  coast— in  the  great  campaigns  which  he  had  sub 
sequently  fought — and  everywhere,  his  consciousness  of 
having  performed  his  duty  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and 
ability  sustained  him.  It  sustained  him,  above  all,  at  Get 
tysburg,  where  he  had  done  his  best,  giving  him  strength  to 
take  upon  himself  the  responsibility  of  that  disaster ;  and, 
now,  in  these  last  dark  days  at  Petersburg,  it  must  have  been 
the  sense  of  having  done  his  whole  duty,  and  expended  upon 
the  cause  every  energy  of  his  being,  which  enabled  him  to 
meet  the  approaching  catastrophe  with  a  calmness  which 
seemed  to  those  around  him  almost  sublime. 

If  this  be  not  the  explanation  of  the  composure  of  Gen 
eral  Lee,  throughout  the  last  great  struggle  with  the  Federal 
Army,  the  writer  of  these  pages  is  at  a  loss  to  account  for  it. 
The  phenomenon  was  plain  to  all  eyes,  and  crowned  the 
soldier  with  a  glory  greater  than  that  which  he  had  derived 
from  his  most  decisive  military  successes.  Great  and  un 
moved  in  the  dark  hour  as  in  the  bright,  he  seemed  to  have 
determined  to  perform  his  duty  to  the  last,  and  to  shape 
his  conduct,  under  whatever  pressure  of  disaster,  upon  the 
two  maxims,  "  Do  your  duty,"  and  "  Human  virtue  should 
be  equal  to  human  calamity." 

There  is  little  reason  to  doubt  that  General  Lee  saw  this 
"  calamity  "  coming,  for  the  effort  to  reenforce  his  small  army 
with  fresh  levies  seemed  hopeless.  The  reasons  for  this  un 
fortunate  state  of  things  must  be  sought  elsewhere.  The  un 
fortunate  fact  will  be  stated,  without  comment,  that,  while 
the  Federal  army  was  regularly  and  largely  reenforced,  so  that 


£30  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST   DAYS. 

its  numbers  at  no  time  fell  below  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou 
sand  men,  Lee's  entire  force  at  Petersburg  at  no  time  reached 
sixty  thousand,  and  in  the  spring  of  1865,  when  he  still  con 
tinued  to  hold  his  long  line  of  defences,  numbered  scarcely 
half  of  sixty  thousand.  This  was  the  primary  cause  of  the 
failure  of  the  struggle.  General  Grant's  immense  hammer 
continued  to  beat  upon  his  adversary,  wearing  away  his 
strength  day  by  day.  ]STo  new  troops  arrived  to  take  the 
places  of  those  who  had  fallen ;  and  General  Lee  saw,  draw 
ing  closer  and  closer,  the  inevitable  hour  when,  driven  from 
his  works,  or  with  the  Federal  army  upon  his  communica 
tions,  he  must  cut  his  way  southward  or  surrender. 

A  last  circumstance  in  reference  to  General  Lee's  posi 
tion  at  this  time  should  be  stated ;  the  fact  that,  from  the  au 
tumn  of  1864  to  the  end  in  the  spring  of  1865,  he  was  felt 
by  the  country  and  the  army  to  be  the  sole  hope  of  the  Con 
federacy.  To  him  alone  now  all  men  looked  as  the  deus  ex 
machind  to  extricate  them  from  the  dangers  surrounding 
them.  This  sentiment  needed  no  expression  in  words.  It 
was  seen  in  the  faces  and  the  very  tones  of  voice  of  all.  Old 
men  visited  him,  and  begged  him  with  faltering  voices  not 
to  expose  himself,  for,  if  he  were  killed,  all  would  be  lost. 
The  troops  followed  him  with  their  eyes,  or  their  cheers, 
whenever  he  appeared,  feeling  a  singular  sense  of  confidence 
from  the  presence  of  the  gray-haired  soldier  in  his  plain  uni 
form,  and  assured  that,  as  long  as  Lee  led  them,  the  cause 
was  safe.  All  classes  of  the  people  thus  regarded  the  fate 
of  the  Confederacy  as  resting,  not  partially,  but  solely,  upon 
the  shoulders  of  Lee ;  and,  although  he  was  not  entitled  by 
his  rank  in  the  service  to  direct  operations  in  other  quarters 
than  Virginia,  there  was  a  very  general  desire  that  the  whole 


LEE  IN  THE  WINTER   OF   1864-'65.  4.31 

conduct  of  the  war  everywhere  should  be  intrusted  to  his 
hands.  This  was  done,  as  will  be  seen,  toward  the  spring 
of  1865,  but  it  was  too  late. 

These  notices  of  General  Lee  individually  are  necessary 
to  a  clear  comprehension  of  the  concluding  incidents  of  the 
great  conflict.  It  is  doubtful  if,  in  any  other  struggle  of  his 
tory,  the  hopes  of  a  people  were  more  entirely  wrapped  up 
in  a  single  individual.  All  criticisms  of  the  eminent  soldier 
had  long  since  been  silenced,  and  it  may,  indeed,  be  said 
that  something  like  a  superstitious  confidence  in  his  fortunes 
had  become  widely  disseminated.  It  was  the  general  senti 
ment,  even  when  Lee  himself  saw  the  end  surely  approach 
ing,  that  all  was  safe  while  he  remained  in  command  of  the 
army.  This  hallucination  must  have  greatly  pained  him, 
for  no  one  ever  saw  more  clearly,  or  was  less  blinded  by  ir 
rational  confidence.  Lee  fully  understood  and  represented 
to  the  civil  authorities — with  whom  his  relations  were  per 
fectly  friendly  and  cordial — that  if  his  lines  were  broken  at 
any  point,  the  fate  of  the  campaign  was  sealed.  Feeling 
this  truth,  of  which  his  military  sagacity  left  him  in  no  doubt, 
he  had  to  bear  the  further  weight  of  that  general  confidence 
which  he  did  not  share.  He  did  not  complain,  however,  or 
in  any  manner  indicate  the  desperate  straits  to  which  he 
had  come.  He  called  for  fresh  troops  to  supply  his  losses ; 
when  they  did  not  arrive  he  continued  to  oppose  his  power 
ful  adversary  with  the  remnant  still  at  his  command.  These 
were  now  more  like  old  comrades  than  mere  private  soldiers 
under  his  orders.  What  was  left  of  the  army  was  its  best 
material.  The  fires  of  battle  had  tested  the  metal,  and  that 
which  emerged  from  the  furnace  was  gold  free  from  alloy. 
The  men  remaining  with  Lee  were  those  whom  no  peril  of 


±32  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

the  cause  in  which  they  were  fighting  could  dishearten  or 
prompt  to  desert  or  even  temporarily  absent  themselves 
from  the  Southern  standard ;  and  this  corps  d*  elite  was  de 
voted  wholly  to  their  commander.  For  this  devotion  they 
certainly  had  valid  reason.  Never  had  leader  exhibited  a 
more  systematic,  unfailing,  and  almost  tender  care  of  his 
troops.  Lee  seemed  to  feel  that  these  veterans  in  their  rag 
ged  jackets,  with  their  gaunt  faces,  were  personal  friends  of 
his  own,  who  were  entitled  to  his  most  affectionate  exertions 
for  their  welfare.  His  calls  on  the  civil  authorities  in  their 
behalf  were  unceasing.  The  burden  of  these  demands  was 
that,  unless  his  men's  wants  were  attended  to,  the  Southern 
cause  was  lost ;  and  it  plainly  revolted  his  sense  of  the  fit 
ness  of  things  that  men  upon  whom  depended  the  fate  of 
the  South  should  be  shoeless,  in  tatters,  and  forced  to  sub 
sist  on  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  rancid  bacon  and  a  little 
corn  bread,  when  thousands  remaining  out  of  the  army,  and 
dodging  the  enrolling-officers,  were  well  clothed  and  fed. 
and  never  heard  the  whistle  of  a  bullet.  The  men  under 
stood  this  care  for  them,  and  returned  the  affectionate  solici 
tude  of  their  commander  in  full.  He  was  now  their  ideal 
of  a  leader,  and  all  that  he  did  was  perfect  in  their  eyes. 
All  awe  of  him  had  long  since  left  them — they  understood 
what  treasures  of  kindness  and  simplicity  lay  under  the  grave 
exterior.  The  tattered  privates  approached  tho  commander- 
in-chief  without  embarrassment,  and  his  reception  of  them 
was  such  as  to  make  them  love  him  more  than  ever.  Had 
we  space  we  might  dwell  upon  this  marked  respect  and  at 
tention  paid  by  General  Lee  to  his  private  soldiers.  He 
seemed  to  think  them  more  worthy  of  marks  of  regard  than 
his  highest  officers.  And  there  was  never  the  least  air  of 


LEE  IN  THE  WINTER  OF   1864-'65.  4.33 

condescension  in  him  when  thrown  with  them,  but  a  perfect 
simplicity,  kindness,  and  unaffected  sympathy,  whicli  went 
to  their  hearts.  This  was  almost  a  natural  gift  with  Lee, 
and  arose  from  the  genuine  goodness  of  his  heart.  His  feel 
ing  toward  his  soldiers  is  shown  in  an  incident  which  oc 
curred  at  this  time,  and  was  thus  related  in  one  of  the  Rich 
mond  journals :  "  A  gentleman  who  was  in  the  train  from 
this  city  to  Petersburg,  a  very  cold  morning  not  long  ago, 
tells  us  his  attention  was  attracted  by  the  efforts  of  a  young 
soldier,  with  his  arm  in  a  sling,  to  get  his  overcoat  on.  His 
teeth,  as  well  as  his  sound  arm,  were  brought  into  use  to 
effect  the  object ;  but,  in  the  midst  of  his  efforts,  an  officer 
rose  from  his  seat,  advanced  to  him,  and  very  carefully  and 
tenderly  assisted  him,  drawing  the  coat  gently  over  his 
wounded  arm,  and  buttoning  it  up  comfortably;  then,  with 
a  few  kind  and  pleasant  words,  returning  to  his  seat.  Now 
the  officer  in  question  was  not  clad  in  gorgeous  uniform, 
with  a  brilliant  wreath  upon  his  collar,  and  a  multitude  of 
gilt  lines  upon  the  sleeves,  resembling  the  famous  labyrinth  of 
Crete,  but  he  was  clad  in  a  simple  suit  of  gray,  distinguished 
from  the  garb  of  a  civilian  only  by  the  three  stars  which 
every  Confederate  colonel  in  the  service,  by  the  regulations, 
is  entitled  to  wear.  And  yet  he  was  no  other  than  our 
chief,  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  who  is  not  braver  than  he  is 
good  and  modest." 

To  terminate  this  brief  sketch  of  General  Lee,  person 
ally,  in  the  winter  of  1864.  He  looked  much  older  than  at 
the  beginning  of  the  war,  but  by  no  means  less  hardy  or 
robust.  On  the  contrary,  the  arduous  campaigns  through 
which  he  had  passed  seemed  to  have  hardened  him — devel 
oping  to  the  highest  degree  the  native  strength  of  his  phys- 


±34:  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

ical  organization.  His  cheeks  were  ruddy,  and  his  eye  had 
that  clear  light  which  indicates  the  presence  of  the  calm, 
self-poised  will.  But  his  hair  had  grown  gray,  like  his 
beard  and  mustache,  which  were  worn  short  and  well- 
trimmed.  His  dress,  as  always,  was  a  plain  and  serviceable 
gray  uniform,  with  no  indications  of  rank  save  the  stars  on 
the  collar.  Cavalry-boots  reached  nearly  to  his  knees,  and  he 
seldom  wore  any  weapon.  A  broad-brimmed  gray-felt  hat 
rested  low  upon  the  forehead ;  and  the  movements  of  this 
soldierly  figure  were  as  firm,  measured,  and  imposing,  as 
ever.  It  was  impossible  to  discern  in  General  Lee  any  evi 
dences  of  impaired  strength,  or  any  trace  of  the  wearing 
hardships  through  which  he  had  passed.  He  seemed  made 
of  iron,  and  would  remain  in  his  saddle  all  day,  and  then  at 
his  desk  half  the  night,  without  apparently  feeling,  any  fa 
tigue.  He  was  still  almost  an  anchorite  in  his  personal 
habits,  and  lived  so  poorly  that  it  is  said  he  was  compelled 
to  borrow  a  small  piece  of  meat  when  unexpected  visitors 
dined  with  him. 

Such,  in  brief  outline,  was  the  individual  upon  whose 
shoulders,  in  the  last  months  of  1864:  and  the  early  part  of 
1865,  rested  the  Southern  Confederacy 


XII. 

THE    SITUATION    AT    THE    BEGINNING    OF    1865. 

IN  approaching  the  narrative  of  the  last  tragic  scenes  of 
the  Confederate  struggle,  the  writer  of  these  pages  experi 
ences  emotions  of  sadness  which  will  probably  be  shared  by 
not  a  few  even  of  those  readers  whose  sympathies,  from  the 


THE  SITUATION  AT  THE  BEGINNING  OF   1865.  435 

nature  of  tilings,  were  on  the  side  of  the  North.  To  doubt 
this  would  be  painful,  and  would  indicate  a  contempt  for 
human  nature.  Not  only  in  the  eyes  of  his  friends  and  fol 
lowers,  but  even  in  the  eyes  of  his  bitterest  enemies,  Lee 
must  surely  have  appeared  great  and  noble.  Right  or  wrong 
in  the  struggle,  he  believed  that  he  was  performing  his  duty ; 
and  the  brave  army  at  his  back,  which  had  fought  so  heroi 
cally,  were  inspired  by  the  same  sentiment,  and  risked  all 
on  the  issue. 

This  great  soldier  was  now  about  to  suffer  the  cruellest 
pang  which  the  spite  of  Fate  can  inflict,  and  his  army  to  be 
disbanded,  to  return  in  poverty  and  defeat  to  their  homes. 
That  spectacle  was  surely  tragic,  and  appealed  to  the  hard 
est  heart ;  and  if  any  rejoiced  in  such  misery  he  must  have 
been  unsusceptible  of  the  sentiment  of  admiration  for  hero 
ism  in  misfortune. 

The  last  and  decisive  struggle  between  the  two  armies  at 
Petersburg  began  in  March,  1865.  But  events  of  great  im 
portance  in  many  quarters  had  preceded  this  final  conflict, 
the  result  of  which  had  been  to  break  down  all  the  outer 
defences  of  the  Confederacy,  leaving  only  the  inner  citadel 
still  intact.  The  events  in  question  are  so  familiar  to  those 
who  will  peruse  these  pages,  that  a  passing  reference  to  them 
is  all  that  is  necessary.  Affairs  in  the  Yalley  of  Virginia, 
from  autumn  to  spring,  had  steadily  proceeded  from  bad  to 
worse.  In  September,  General  Sheridan,  with  a  force  of 
about  forty-five  thousand,  had  assailed  General  Early  near 
Winchester,  with  a  force  of  about  eight  or  nine  thousand 
muskets,  and  succeeded  in  driving  him  up  the  Yalley  be 
yond  Strasburg,  whence,  attacked  a  second  time,  he  had  re 
treated  toward  Staunton.  This  was  followed,  in  October, 


436  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

by  another  battle  at  Gedar  Run,  where  Early  attacked  and 
nearly  crushed  General  Sheridan,  but  eventually  was  again 
repulsed,  and  forced  a  second  time  to  retreat  up  the  Yalley 
to  Waynesboro',  where,  in  February,  his  little  remnant  was 
assailed  by  overwhelming  numbers  and  dispersed.  General 
Sheridan,  who  had  effected  this  inglorious  but  important 
success,  then  proceeded  to  the  Lowlands,  joined  General 
Grant's  army,  and  was  ready,  with  his  large  force  of  horse, 
to  take  part  in  the  coming  battles. 

A  more  important  success  had  attended  the  Federal 
arms  in  the  "West.  General  Johnston,  who  had  been  re 
stored  to  command  there  at  the  solicitation  of  Lee,  had 
found  his  force  insufficient  to  oppose  General  Sherman's 
large  army ;  the  Confederates  had  accordingly  retreated ; 
and  General  Sherman,  almost  unresisted,  from  the  exhaus 
tion  of  his  adversary,  marched  across  the  country  to  Savan 
nah,  which  fell  an  easy  prize,  and  thence  advanced  to  Golds- 
borough,  in  North  Carolina,  where  he  directly  threatened 
Lee's  line  of  retreat  from  Virginia. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  months  of  Feb 
ruary  and  March,  1865.  In  the  former  month,  commission 
ers  from  the  Confederate  Government  had  met  President 
Lincoln  in  Hampton  Roads,  but  no  terms  of  peace  could  be 
agreed  upon  ;  the  issue  was  still  left  to  be  decided  by  arms, 
and  every  advantage  was  upon  the  Federal  side.  General 
Lee,  who  had  just  been  appointed  "  General-in-Chief" — 
having  thus  imposed  upon  him  the  mockery  of  a  rank  no 
longer  of  any  value — saw  the  armies  of  the  enemy  closing  in 
upon  him,  and  did  not  deceive  himself  with  the  empty  hope 
that  he  could  longer  hold  his  lines  at  Petersburg.  The 
country,  oppressed  as  it  was,  and  laboring  under  a  sentiment 


THE  SITUATION  AT  THE  BEGINNING  OF   1865.  437 

akin  to  despair,  still  retained  in  almost  undiminished  meas 
ure  its  superstitious  confidence  in  him  ;  but  lie  himself  saw 
clearly  the  desperate  character  of  the  situation.  General 
Grant  was  in  his  front  with  a  force  of  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  men,  and  General  Sherman  was  about  to 
enter  Virginia  with  an  army  of  about  the  same  numbers. 
Lee's  force  at  Petersburg  was  a  little  over  thirty  thousand 
men — that  of  Johnston  was  not  so  great,  and  was  detained 
by  Sherman.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  obviously 
only  a  question  of  time  when  the  Army  of  Northern  Vir 
ginia  would  be  overwhelmed.  In  February,  1865,  these 
facts  were  perfectly  apparent  to  General  Lee  :  but  one  course 
was  left  to  him — to  retreat  from  Virginia  ;  and  he  promptly 
began  that  movement  in  the  latter  part  of  the  month,  or 
dering  his  trains  to  Amelia  Court-House,  and  directing 
pontoons  to  be  got  ready  at  Roanoke  River.  His  aim  was 
simple — to  unite  his  army  with  that  of  General  Johnston, 
and  retreat  into  the  Gulf  States.  In  the  mountains  of  Vir 
ginia  he  could  carry  on  the  war,  he  had  said,  for  twenty 
years ;  in  the  fertile  regions  of  the  South  he  might  expect 
to  prolong  hostilities,  or  at  least  make  favorable  terms  of 
peace — which  would  be  better  than  to  remain  in  Virginia 
until  he  was  completely  surrounded,  and  an  unconditional 
submission  would  alone  be  left  him. 

It  will  probably  remain  a  subject  of  regret  to  military 
students,  that  Lee  was  not  permitted  to  carry  out  this  retreat 
into  the  Gulf  States.  The  movement  was  arrested  after  a 
consultation  with  the  civil  authorities  at  Richmond.  Upon 
what  grounds  a  course  so  obviously  necessary  was  opposed, 
the  present  writer  is  unable  to  declare.  "Whatever  the  con 
siderations,  Lee  yielded  his  judgment ;  the  movement  sud- 


138  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

denly  stopped ;  and  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia — if  a 
skeleton  can  be  called  such — remained  to  await  its  fate. 

The  condition  of  the  army  in  which  "  companies  "  scarce 
existed,  "  regiments  "  were  counted  by  tens,  and  "  divisions  " 
by  hundreds  only,  need  not  here  be  elaborately  dwelt  upon. 
It  was  indeed  the  phantom  of  an  army,  and  the  gaunt  faces 
were  almost  ghostly.  Shoeless,  in  rags,  with  just  sufficient 
coarse  food  to  sustain  life,  but  never  enough  to  keep  at  arm's- 
length  the  gnawing  fiend  Hunger,  Lee's  old  veterans  re 
mained  firm,  scattered  like  a  thin  skirmish-line  along  forty 
miles  of  works ;  while  opposite  them  lay  an  enemy  in  the 
highest  state  of  efficiency,  and  numbering  nearly  five  men 
to  their  one.  That  the  soldiers  of  the  army  retained  their 
nerve  under  circumstances  so  discouraging  is  surely  an  hon 
orable  fact,  and  will  make  their  names  glorious  in  history. 
They  remained  unshaken  and  fought  undismayed  to  the 
last,  although  their  courage  was  subjected  to  trials  of  the 
most  exhausting  character.  Day  and  night,  for  month  after 
month,  the  incessant  fire  of  the  Federal  forces  had  continued, 
and  every  engine  of  human  destruction  had  been  put  in  play 
to  wear  away  their  strength.  They  fought  all  through  the 
cheerless  days  of  winter,  and,  when  they  lay  down  in  the 
cold  trenches  at  night,  the  shell  of  the  Federal  mortars  rained 
down  upon  them,  bursting,  and  mortally  wounding  them. 
All  day  long  the  fire  of  muskets  and  cannon — then,  from 
sunset  to  dawn,  the  curving  fire  of  the  roaring  mortars,  and 
the  steady,  never-ceasing  crack  of  the  sharp-shooters  along 
the  front.  Snow,  or  blinding  sleet,  or  freezing  rains,  might 
be  falling,  but  the  fire  went  on — it  seemed  destined  to  go 
oc  to  all  eternity. 

In  March,  1865  however,  the  end  was  approaching,  and 


LEE  ATTACKS  THE  FEDERAL  CENTRE.  439 

General  Lee  must  have  felt  that  all  was  lost.  His  last  hope 
had  been  the  retreat  southward  in  the  month  of  February. 
That  hope  had  been  taken  from  him  ;  the  result  was  at  hand ; 
and  his  private  correspondence,  if  he  intrusted  to  paper  his 
views  of  the  situation,  will  probably  show  that  from  that 
moment  he  gave  up  all  anticipation  of  success,  and  prepared 
to  do  his  simple  duty  as  a  soldier,  leaving  the  issue  of  affairs 
to  Providence.  "Whatever  may  have  been  his  emotions,  they 
were  not  reflected  in  his  countenance.  The  same  august 
composure  which  had  accompanied  him  in  his  previous  cam 
paigns  remained  with  him  still,  and  cheered  the  fainting 
hearts  around  him.  To  the  2d  of  April,  and  even  up 
to  the  end,  this  remarkable  calmness  continued  nearly  un 
changed,  and  we  can  offer  no  explanation  of  a  circumstance 
so  astonishing,  save  that  which  we  have  already  given  in  a 
preceding  chapter. 


XIII. 

LEE  ATTACKS  THE  FEDERAL  CENTRE. 

GENEKAL  LEE  became  aware,  as  the  end  of  March  drew 
near,  that  preparations  were  being  made  in  the  Federal 
army  for  some  important  movement.  What  that  move 
ment  would  be,  there  was  little  reason  to  doubt.  The  Fed 
eral  lines  had  been  extended  gradually  toward  the  South- 
side  Railroad ;  and  it  was  obvious  now  that  General  Grant 
had  in  view  a  last  and  decisive  advance  in  that  quarter, 
which  should  place  him  on  his  opponent's  communications, 
and  completely  intercept  his  retreat  southward. 

The  catastrophe  which  General  Lee  had  plainly  foreseen 


440  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

for  many  months  now  stared  him  in  the  face,  and,  unless 
he  had  recourse  to  some  expedient  as  desperate  as  the  situa 
tion,  the  end  of  the  struggle  must  soon  come.  The  sole 
course  left  to  him  was  retreat,  but  this  now  seemed  difficult, 
if  not  impossible.  General  Grant  had  a  powerful  force  not 
far  from  the  main  roads  over  which  Lee  must  move;  and, 
unless  a  diversion  of  some  description  were  made,  it  seemed 
barely  possible  that  the  Southern  army  could  extricate  itself. 
This  diversion  General  Lee  now  proceeded  to  make ;  and 
although  we  have  no  authority  to  state  that  his  object  was 
to  follow  up  the  blow,  if  it  were  successful,  by  an  evacuation 
of  his  lines  at  Petersburg,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  what 
other  design  he  could  have  had  in  risking  an  operation  so 
critical.  He  had  resolved  to  throw  a  column  against  the 
Federal  centre  east  of  Petersburg,  with  the  view  to  break 
through  there  and  seize  the  commanding  ground  in  rear  of 
the  line.  He  would  thus  be  rooted  in  the  middle  of  Gen 
eral  Grant's  army,  and  the  Federal  left  would  probably  be 
recalled,  leaving  the  way  open  if  he  designed  to  retreat. 
If  he  designed,  however,  to  fight  a  last  pitched  battle  which 
should  decide  all,  he  would  be  able  to  do  so,  in  case  the 
Federal  works  were  broken,  to  greater  advantage  than  un 
der  any  other  circumstances. 

The  point  fixed  upon  was  Fort  Steadman,  near  the  south 
bank  of  the  Appomattox,  where  the  opposing  works  were 
scarcely  two  hundred  yards  from  each  other.  The  ground 
in  front  was  covered  with  abatis,  and  otherwise  obstructed, 
but  it  was  hoped  that  the  assaulting  column  would  be  able 
to  pass  over  the  distance  undiscovered.  In  that  event  a 
sudden  rush  would  probably  carry  the  works — a  large  part 
of  the  army  would  follow — the  hill  beyond  would  be  occu- 


LEE  ATTACKS  THE  FEDERAL  CENTRE. 

pied — and  General  Grant  would  be  compelled  to  concen 
trate  his  army  at  the  point,  for  his  own  protection. 

On  the  morning  of  March  25th,  before  dawn,  the  column 
was  ready.  It  consisted  of  three  or  four  thousand  men  un 
der  General  Gordon,  but  an  additional  force  was  held  in  re 
serve  to  follow  up  the  attack  if  it  succeeded.  Just  as  dawn 
appeared,  Gordon  put  his  column  in  motion.  It  advanced 
silently  over  the  intervening  space,  made  a  rush  for  the 
Federal  works,  mounted  them,  drove  from  them  in  great 
confusion  the  force  occupying  them,  and  a  loud  cheer  proved 
that  the  column  of  Gordon  had  done  its  work.  But  this 
auspicious  beginning  was  the  only  success  achieved  by  the 
Confederates.  For  reasons  unknown  to  the  present  writer, 
the  force  directed  by  Lee  to  be  held  in  readiness,  and  to 
move  at  once  to  Gordon's  support,  did  not  go  forward  ;  the 
brave  commander  and  his  men  were  left  to  breast  the  whole 
weight  of  the  Federal  onslaught  which  ensued;  and  dis 
aster  followed  the  first  great  success.  The  forts  to  the  right 
and  left  of  Fort  Steadman  suddenly  opened  their  thunders, 
and  something  like  a  repetition  of  the  scene  succeeding  the 
mine  explosion  ensued.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  as 
saulting  column  was  unable  to  get  back,  and  fell  into  the 
enemy's  hands  ;  their  works  were  quickly  reoccupied  ;  and 
Lee  saw  that  his  last  hope  had  failed.  Nothing  was  left  to 
him  now  but  such  courageous  resistance  as  it  was  in  his 
power  to  make,  and  he  prepared,  with  the  worn  weapon 
which  he  still  held  in  his  firm  grasp,  to  oppose  as  he  best 
could  the  immense  "hammer" — to  use  General  Grant's 
own  illustration — which  was  plainly  about  to  be  raised  to 

strike. 

30 


4:4:2  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

XIY. 

THE    SOUTHERN    LINES    BROKEN. 

THE  hour  of  the  final  struggle  now  rapidly  drew  near. 
On  the  29th  of  March,  General  Lee  discovered  that  a  large 
portion  of  the  Federal  army  was  moving  steadily  in  the  di 
rection  of  his  works  beyond  Burgen  Mill,  and  there  could 
be  no  doubt  what  this  movement  signified.  General  Grant 
was  plainly  about  to  make  a  decisive  attack  on  the  Confed 
erate  right,  on  the  White-Oak  Road ;  and,  if  that  attack 
succeeded,  Lee  was  lost. 

Had  not  General  Lee  and  his  men  become  accustomed 
to  retain  their  coolness  under  almost  any  circumstances  of 
trial,  the  prospect  now  before  them  must  have  filled  them 
with  despair.  The  bulk  of  the  Federal  army  was  obviously 
about  to  be  thrown  against  the  Confederate  right,  and  it 
was  no  secret  in  the  little  body  of  Southerners  that  Lee 
would  be  able  to  send  thither  only  a  painfully  inadequate 
force,  unless  his  extensive  works  were  left  in  charge  of  a 
mere  line  of  skirmishers.  This  could  not  be  thought  of; 
the  struggle  on  the  right  must  be  a  desperate  one,  and  the 
Southern  troops  must  depend  upon  hard  fighting  rather  than 
numbers  if  they  hoped  to  repulse  the  attack  of  the  enemy. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  affairs,  and  neither  the  Con 
federate  commander  nor  his  men  shrunk  in  the  hour  of  trial. 
Leaving  Longstreet  to  confront  the  enemy  north  of  the 
James,  and  Gordon  in  command  of  Swell's  corps — if  it  could 
be  called  such — in  front  of  Petersburg,  Lee  moved  with 
nearly  the  whole  remainder  of  his  small  force  westward,  be 
yond  Hatcher's  Kun,  to  meet  the  anticipated  attack.  The 


THE  SOUTHERN  LINES  BROKEN.  4.4.3 

force  thus  moved  to  the  right  to  receive  General  Grant's 
great  assault  consisted  of  about  fifteen  thousand  infantry, 
and  about  two  thousand  cavalry  under  General  Fitz  Lee, 
who,  in  consequence  of  the  departure  of  Hampton  to  North 
Carolina,  now  commanded  the  cavalry  of  the  army.  This 
force,  however,  was  cavalry  only  in  name;  and  General 
Lee,  speaking  afterward  of  General  Sheridan,  said  that  his 
victories  were  won  "  when  we  had  no  horses  for  our  cavalry, 
and  no  men  to  ride  the  few  broken-down  steeds  that  we 
could  muster." 

With  this  force,  amounting  in  all  to  about  seventeen 
thousand  men,  Lee  proceeded  to  take  position  behind  the 
works  extending  along  the  White-Oak  Eoad,  in  the  direc 
tion  of  Five  Forks,  an  important  carrefour  beyond  his  ex 
treme  right.  The  number  of  men  left  north  of  James  Eiver 
and  in  front  of  Petersburg  was  a  little  under  twenty  thou 
sand.  As  General  Grant  had  at  his  com  and  a  force  about 
four  times  as  great  as  his  adversary's,  it  seemed  scarcely  pos 
sible  that  Lee  would  be  able  to  offer  serious  resistance. 

It  soon  became  evident,  however,  that,  in  spite  of  this 
great  disproportion  of  force,  General  Lee  had  determined  to 
fight  to  the  last.  To  attribute  this  determination  to  de 
spair  and  recklessness,  would  be  doing  injustice  to  the  great 
soldier.  It  was  still  possible  that  he  might  be  able  to  re 
pulse  the  assault  upon  his  right,  and,  by  disabling  the  Fed 
eral  force  there,  open  his  line  of  retreat.  To  this  hope  he 
no  doubt  clung,  and  the  fighting-blood  of  his  race  was  now 
thoroughly  aroused.  .At  Chancellors ville  and  elsewhere  the 
odds  had  been  nearly  as  great,  and  a  glance  at  his  gaunt 
veterans  showed  him  that  they  might  still  be  depended  upon 
for  a  struggle  as  obstinate  as  any  in  the  past  history  of  the  war. 


LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

The  event  certainly  vindicated  the  justice  of  this  latter 
view,  and  we  shall  briefly  trace  the  occurrences  of  the  next 
three  or  four  days  which  terminated  the  long  conflict  at 
Petersburg. 

General  Grant's  assaulting  force  was  not  in  position  near 
the  Boydton  Road,  beyond  Hatcher's  Run,  until  March  31st, 
when,  before  he  could  attack,  Lee  suddenly  advanced  and 
made  a  furious  onslaught  on  the  Federal  front.  Before  this 
attack,  the  divisions  first  encountered  gave  way  in  confusion, 
and  it  seemed  that  the  Confederate  commander,  at  a  single 
blow,  was  about  to  extricate  himself  from  his  embarrassing 
situation.  The  force  opposed  to  him,  however,  was  too 
great,  and  he  found  himself  unable  to  encounter  it  in  the 
open  field.  He  therefore  fell  back  to  his  works,  and  the 
fighting  ceased,  only  to  be  renewed,  however,  at  Five  Forks. 
This  had  been  seized  by  the  cavalry  of  General  Sheridan, 
and,  as  the  point  ^as  one  of  importance,  Lee  detached  a 
small  body  of  infantry  to  drive  away  the  Federal  horse. 
This  was  done  without  difficulty,  and  the  Confederate  infan 
try  then  advanced  toward  Dinwiddie  Court-House ;  but  late 
at  night  it  was  withdrawn,  and  the  day's  fighting  ended. 

On  the  next  day,  the  1st  of  April,  a  more  determined 
struggle  ensued,  for  the  possession  of  Five  Forks,  where  Lee 
had  stationed  the  small  remnants  of  the  divisions  of  Pickett 
and  Johnson.  These  made  a  brave  resistance,  but  were 
wholly  unable  to  stand  before  the  force  brought  against 
them.  They  maintained  their  ground  as  long  as  possible, 
but  were  finally  broken  to  pieces  and  scattered  in  confusion, 
the  whole  right  of  the  Confederate  line  and  the  Southside 
Road  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

This  was  virtually  the  end  of  the  contest,  but  General 


LEE  EVACUATES  PETERSBURG.  445 

Grant,  it  would  appear,  deemed  it  inexpedient  to  venture 
any  thing.  So  thinly  manned  were  the  lines  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  in  the  absence  of  Longstreet  north  of  James 
Eiver,  and  the  troops  sent  beyond  Hatcher's  Eun,  that  on 
the  1st  of  April  the  Federal  commander  might  have  broken 
through  the  works  at  almost  any  point.  He  elected  to  wait, 
however,  until  the  following  day,  thereby  running  the  risk 
of  awaking  to  find  that  Lee  had  retreated. 

At  dawn  on  the  2d  the  long  struggle  ended.  The  Fed 
eral  forces  advanced  all  along  the  Confederate  front,  made  a 
furious  attack,  and,  breaking  through  in  front  of  the  city,  car 
ried  all  before  them.  The  forts,  especially  Fort  Gregg,  made 
a  gallant  resistance.  This  work  was  defended  by  the  two 
hundred  and  fifty  men  of  Harris's  Mississippi  Brigade,  and 
these  fought  until  their  numbers  were  reduced  to  thirty, 
killing  or  wounding  five  hundred  of  the  assailants.  The 
fort  was  taken  at  last,  and  the  Federal  lines  advanced  tow 
ard  the  city.  In  this  attack  fell  the  eminent  soldier  Gen 
eral  A.  P.  Hill,  whose  record  had  been  so  illustrious,  and 
whose  fortune  it  was  to  thus  terminate  his  life  while  the 
Southern  flag  still  floated. 


XV. 

LEE    EVACUATES    PETERSBURG. 

ANT  further  resistance  upon  the  part  of  General  Lee 
seemed  now  impossible,  and  nothing  appeared  to  be  left  him 
but  to  surrender  his  army.  This  course  he  does  not  seem, 
however,  to  have  contemplated.  It  was  still  possible  that 
he  might  be  able  to  maintain  his  position  on  an  inner  line 


4:4:6  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

near  the  city  until  night ;  and,  if  lie  could  do  so,  the  friendly 
hours  of  darkness  might  enable  him  to  make  good  his  re 
treat  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Appomattox,  and  shape  his 
course  toward  North  Carolina,  where  General  Johnston 
awaited  him.  If  the  movements  of  the  Federal  forces,  how 
ever,  were  so  prompt  as  to  defeat  his  march  in  that  direction, 
he  might  still  be  able  to  reach  Lynchburg,  beyond  which 
point  the  defiles  of  the  Alleghanies  promised  him  protection 
against  the  utmost  efforts  of  his  enemy.  Of  his  ability  to 
reach  North  Carolina,  following  the  line  of  the  Danville 
Railroad,  Lee,  however,  seems  to  have  had  no  doubt.  The 
Federal  army  would  not  probably  be  able  to  concentrate  in 
sufficient  force  in  his  path  to  bar  his  progress  if  his  march 
were  rapid ;  if  detached  bodies  only  opposed  him  on  his  line 
of  retreat,  there  was  little  doubt  that  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia,  reduced  as  it  was,  would  be  able  to  cut  its  way 
through  them. 

This  preface  is  necessary  to  an  intelligent  comprehen 
sion  of  Lee's  movements  on  the  unfortunate  2d  of  April  when 
his  lines  were  broken.  This  occurrence  took  place,  as  we 
have  said,  about  sunrise,  and,  an  hour  or  two  afterward, 
the  Federal  forces  pressed  forward  all  along  the  line,  surg 
ing  toward  the  suburbs  of  Petersburg.  "We  have  mentioned 
the  position  of  General  Lee's  headquarters,  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  west  of  the  city,  on  the  Cox  Road,  nearly  opposite  the 
tall  Federal  observatory.  Standing  on  the  lawn,  in  front  of 
his  headquarters,  General  Lee  now  saw,  approaching  rap 
idly,  a  heavy  column  of  Federal  infantry,  with  the  obvious 
design  of  charging  a  battery  which  had  opened  fire  upon 
them  from  a  hill  to  the  right.  The  spectacle  was  pictu 
resque  and  striking.  Across  the  extensive  fields  houses  set 


LEE  EVACUATES  PETERSBURG.  44.7 

on  fire  by  shell  were  sending  aloft  huge  clouds  of  smoke  and 
tongues  of  flame  ;  at  every  instant  was  seen  the  quick  glare 
of  the  Federal  artillery,  firing  from  every  knoll,  and  in  front 
came  on  the  charging  column,  moving  at  a  double  quick, 
with  burnished  gun-barrels  and  bayonets  flashing  in  the 
April  sunshine. 

General  Lee  watched  with  attention,  but  with  perfect 
composure,  this  determined  advance  of  the  enemy ;  and,  al 
though  he  must  have  realized  that  his  army  was  on  the  verge 
of  destruction,  it  was  impossible  to  discern  in  his  features 
any  evidences  of  emotion.  He  was  in  full  uniform,  and  had 
buckled  on  his  dress-sword,  which  he  seldom  wore — having, 
on  this  morning  declared,  it  is  said,  that  if  he  were  compelled 
to  surrender  he  would  do  so  in  full  harness.  Of  his  calm 
ness  at  this  trying  moment  the  writer  is  able  to  bear  his  per 
sonal  testimony.  Chancing  to  hear  a  question  addressed  to 
a  member  of  his  staff,  General  Lee  turned  with  great  cour 
tesy,  raised  his  gray  hat  in  response  to  the  writer's  salute,  and 
gave  him  the  desired  information  in  a  voice  entirely  meas 
ured  and  composed.  It  was  impossible  to  regard  a  calm 
ness  so  striking  without  strong  sentiments  of  admiration, 
and  Lee's  appearance  and  bearing  at  this  moment  will  always 
remain  vividly  impressed  upon  the  writer's  memory. 

The  Federal  column  was  soon  in  dangerous  proximity  to 
the  battery  on  the  hill,  and  it  was  obliged  to  retire  at  a  gal 
lop  to  escape  capture.  An  attempt  was  made  to  hold  the 
ground  near  the  headquarters,  but  a  close  musketry-fire  from 
the  enemy  rendered  this  also  impossible — the  artillery  was 
withdrawn — and  General  Lee,  mounting  his  iron-gray,  slow 
ly  rode  back,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  officers,  toward 
his  inner  line.  He  still  remained  entirely  composed,  and 


448  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

only  said  to  one  of  his  staff,  in  his  habitual  tone :  "  This  is  a 
bad  business,  colonel." 

"Well,  colonel,"  he  said  afterward  to  another  officer, 
"  it  has  happened  as  I  told  them  it  would  at  Richmond. 
The  line  has  been  stretched  until  it  has  broken." 

The  Federal  column  was  now  pressing  forward  along 
the  Cox  Road  toward  Petersburg,  and  General  Lee  con 
tinued  to  ride  slowly  back  in  the  direction  of  the  city.  He 
was  probably  recognized  by  officers  of  the  Federal  artillery, 
or  his  cortege  drew  their  fire.  The  group  was  furiously 
shelled,  and  one  of  the  shells  burst  a  few  feet  in  rear  of  him, 
killing  the  horse  of  an  officer  near  him,  cutting  the  bridle- 
reins  of  others,  and  tearing  up  the  ground  in  his  immedi 
ate  vicinity.  This  incident  seemed  to  arouse  in  General 
Lee  his  fighting-blood.  He  turned  his  head  over  his 
right  shoulder,  his  cheeks  became  flushed,  and  a  sudden 
flash  of  the  eye  showed  with  what  reluctance  he  retired  be 
fore  the  fire  directed  upon  him.  No  other  course  was  left 
him,  however,  and  he  continued  to  ride  slowly  toward  his 
inner  line — a  low  earthwork  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city — 
where  a  small  force  was  drawn  up,  ardent,  hopeful,  defiant, 
and  saluting  the  shell,  now  bursting  above  them,  with  cheers 
and  laughter.  It  was  plain  that  the  fighting-spirit  of  the 
ragged  troops  remained  unbroken  •  and  the  shout  of  wel 
come  with  which  they  received  Lee  indicated  their  un 
wavering  confidence  in  him,  despite  the  untoward  condition 
of  affairs. 

Arrangements  were  speedily  made  to  hold  the  innei 
line,  if  possible,  until  night.  To  General  Gordon  had  been 
intrusted  the  important  duty  of  defending  the  lines  east  of 
the  city,  and  General  Longstreet  had  been  directed  to  va 


LEE  EVACUATES  PETERSBURG. 

cate  the  works  north  of  James  River,  and  march  at  once  to 
the  lines  of  Petersburg.  This  officer  made  his  appearance, 
with  his  small  force,  at  an  early  hour  of  the  day ;  and,  ex 
cept  that  the  Federal  army  continued  firing  all  along  the 
front,  no  other  active  operations  took  place.  To  those  pres 
ent  on  the  Confederate  side  this  fact  appeared  strange.  As 
the  force  beyond  Hatcher's  Eun  had  been  completely  de 
feated  and  dispersed,  General  Lee's  numbers  for  the  de 
fence  of  Petersburg  on  this  day  did  not  amount  to  much, 
if  any,  more  than  fifteen  thousand  men.  General  Grant's 
force  was  probably  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  of  whom 
about  one  hundred  thousand  might,  it  would  appear,  have 
been  concentrated  in  an  hour  or  two  directly  in  front  of  the 
city.  That,  with  this  large  force  at  his  disposal,  the  Fed 
eral  commander  did  not  at  once  attack,  and  so  end  all  on 
that  day,  surprised  the  Confederate  troops,  and  still  con 
tinues  to  surprise  the  writer. 

Night  came  at  last,  and  General  Lee  began  his  retreat. 
He  had  sent,  early  in  the  morning,  a  dispatch  to  the  civil 
authorities,  at  Richmond,  informing  them  of  the  fact  that 
his  lines  had  been  broken,  and  that  he  would  that  night  re 
treat  from  Petersburg.  Orders  had  also  been  sent  to  all  the 
forces  holding  the  lines  north  of  James  River  to  move  at 
once  and  join  him,  and,  just  at  nightfall,  the  army  at  Pe 
tersburg  began  crossing  the  Appomattox.  This  movement 
was  effected  without  interruption  from  the  enemy ;  and  the 
army,  turning  into  what  is  called  the  Hickory  Road,  lead 
ing  up  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  moved  on  steadily 
through  the  half  light.  Its  march  was  superintended  by 
Lee  in  person.  He  had  stationed  himself  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Hickory  Road,  and,  standing  with  the  bridle  of  his  horse 


150  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

in  his  hand,  gave  his  orders.  His  bearing  still  remained 
entirely  composed,  and  his  voice  had  lost  none  of  its  grave 
strength  of  intonation.  When  the  rear  was  well  closed  up, 
Lee  mounted  his  horse,  rode  on  slowly  with  his  men ;  and, 
in  the  midst  of  the  glare  and  thunder  of  the  exploding 
magazines  at  Petersburg,  the  small  remnant  of  the  Army 
of  Northern  Yirginia,  amounting  to  about  fifteen  thousand 
men,  went  on  its  way  through  the  darkness. 


XYI. 

THE  EETEEAT  AND  SUEEENDEE. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  April,  General  Lee,  after 
allowing  his  column  a  brief  period  of  rest,  continued  his 
march  up  the  north  bank  of  the  Appomattox. 

The  aspect  of  affairs  at  this  time  was  threatening,  and 
there  seemed  little  ground  to  hope  that  the  small  force 
would  be  able  to  make  good  its  retreat  to  North  Carolina. 
General  Grant  had  a  short  and  direct  route  to  the  Danville 
Railroad — a  considerable  portion  of  his  army  was  already 
as  far  west  as  Dinwiddie  Court-House — and  it  was  obvious 
that  he  had  only  to  use  ordinary  diligence  to  completely  cut 
General  Lee  off  in  the  vicinity  of  Burkesville  Junction.  A 
glance  at  the  map  will  indicate  the  advantages  possessed  by 
the  Federal  commander.  He  could  move  over  the  chord, 
while  Lee  was  compelled  to  follow  the  arc  of  the  circle. 
Unless  good  fortune  assisted  Lee  and  ill  fortune  impeded 
his  opponent,  the  event  seemed  certain  ;  and  it  will  be  seen 
that  these  conditions  were  completely  reversed. 

Under  the  circumstances  here  stated,  it  appeared  reason- 


THE  RETREAT  AND  SURRENDER.          451 

able  to  expect  in  Lee  and  his  army  some  depression  of  spirits. 
The  fact  was  strikingly  the  reverse.  The  army  was  in  ex 
cellent  spirits,  probably  from  the  highly-agreeable  contrast 
of  the  budding  April  woods  with  the  squalid  trenches,  and 
the  long-unfelt  joy  of  an  unfettered  march  through  the 
fields  of  spring.  General  Lee  shared  this  hopeful  feeling  in 
a  very  remarkable  degree.  His  expression  was  animated 
and  buoyant,  his  seat  in  the  saddle  erect  and  commanding, 
and  he  seemed  to  look  forward  to  assured  success  in  the 
critical  movement  which  he  had  undertaken. 

"  I  have  got  my  army  safe  out  of  its  breastworks,"  he 
said,  on  the  morning  of  this  day,  "  and,  in  order  to  follow 
me,  the  enemy  must  abandon  his  lines,  and  can  derive  no 
further  benefit  from  his  railroads  or  James  River." 

The  design  of  the  Confederate  commander  has  been  al 
ready  stated,  but  an  important  condition  upon  which  he 
depended  for  success  has  not  been  mentioned.  This  was  a 
supply  of  food  for  his  army.  The  troops,  during  the  whole 
winter,  had  lived,  from  day  to  day,  on  quarter-rations,  doled 
out  to  them  with  a  sparing  hand ;  and,  in  moving  now  from 
Petersburg,  Lee  saw  that  he  must  look  to  supplies  some 
where  upon  his  line  of  retreat.  These  he  had  directed  to 
be  brought  from  the  south  and  deposited  at  Amelia  Court- 
House ;  and  the  expectation  of  finding  at  that  point  full 
subsistence  for  his  men,  had  doubtless  a  great  effect  in  buoy 
ing  up  his  spirits.  An  evil  chance,  however,  reversed  all 
the  hopes  based  on  this  anticipation.  From  fault  or  misap 
prehension,  the  train  loaded  with  supplies  proceeded  to 
Richmond  without  depositing  the  rations  at  Amelia  Court- 
House ;  there  was  no  time  to  obtain  other  subsistence,  and 
when,  after  unforeseen  delay,  in  consequence  of  high  water 


452  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

in  the  Appomattox,  Lee,  at  the  head  of  his  half-starved  sol 
diers,  reached  Amelia  Court-House,  it  was  only  to  find  that 
there  was  nothing  there  for  the  support  of  his  army,  and  to 
realize  that  a  successful  retreat,  under  the  circumstances, 
was  wellnigh  hopeless. 

Those  who  accompanied  the  Southern  army  on  this  ar 
duous  march  will  recall  the  dismayed  expression  of  the  ema 
ciated  faces  at  this  unlooked-for  calamity ;  and  no  face  wore 
a  heavier  shadow  than  that  of  General  Lee.  The  failure  of 
the  supply  of  rations  completely  paralyzed  him.  He  had 
intended,  and  was  confident  of  his  ability,  to  cut  his  way 
through  the  enemy ;  but  an  army  cannot  march  and  fight 
without  food.  It  was  now  necessary  to  halt  and  send  out 
foraging  parties  into  the  impoverished  region  around.  Mean 
while  General  Grant,  with  his  great  force,  was  rapidly  mov 
ing  to  bar  his  adversary's  further  advance ;  the  want  of  a 
few  thousand  pounds  of  bread  and  meat  had  virtually  ter 
minated  the  war. 

An  anxious  and  haggard  expression  came  to  General 
Lee's  face  when  he  was  informed  of  this  great  misfortune ; 
and,  at  once  abandoning  his  design  of  cutting  his  way 
through  to  North  Carolina,  he  turned  westward,  and  shaped 
his  march  toward  Lynchburg.  This  movement  began  on 
the  night  of  the  5th  of  April,  and  it  would  seem  that  Gen 
eral  Grant  had  had  it  in  his  power  to  arrest  it  by  an  attack 
on  Lee  at  Amelia  Court-House.  General  Sheridan  was  in 
the  immediate  vicinity,  with  a  force  of  about  eighteen  thou 
sand  well-mounted  cavalry,  and,  although  it  was  not  proba 
ble  that  this  command  could  effect  any  thing  against  Lee's 
army  of  about  the  same  number  of  infantry,  it  might  still 
have  delayed  him  by  constructing  breastworks  in  his  way, 


THE  RETREAT  AND  SURRENDER.          453 

and  thus  giving  the  Federal  infantry  time  to  come  up  and 
attack. 

The  opportunity  of  crushing  his  adversary  at  Amelia 
Court-House  was  thus  allowed  to  pass,  and  General  Grant 
now  pressed  forward  his  infantry,  to  bring  Lee  to  bay,  if 
possible,  before  he  reached  Lynchburg.  From  this  moment 
began  the  struggle  between  the  adversaries  which  was  to 
continue,  day  and  night,  without  intermission,  for  the  next 
four  days.  The  phenomenon  was  here  presented  of  an 
army,  reduced  to  less  than  twenty  thousand  men,  holding 
at  arm's-length  an  enemy  numbering  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand,  and  very  nearly  defeating  every  effort 
of  the  larger  force  to  arrest  their  march.  It  would  not  in 
terest  the  reader,  probably,  to  follow  in  minute  detail  the 
circumstances  of  this  melancholy  retreat.  From  the  impor 
tance  of  the  transactions,  and  the  natural  attention  directed 
to  them,  both  North  and  South,  they  are  doubtless  familiar 
to  all  who  will  read  these  pages.  We  shall  only  speak  of 
one  or  two  incidents  of  the  retreat,  wherein  General  Lee 
appeared  prominent  personally,  leaving  to  the  imagination 
of  the  reader  the  remainder  of  the  long  and  tragic  struggle 
whose  result  decided  the  fate  of  the  Confederacy. 

General  Grant  doubtless  saw  now  that  every  thing  de 
pended  upon  the  celerity  of  his  movements,  and,  sending  in 
advance  his  large  body  of  cavalry,  he  hastened  forward  as 
rapidly  as  possible  with  his  infantry,  bent  on  interposing,  if 
possible,  a  heavy  force  in  his  adversary's  front.  Lee's  move 
ments  were  equally  rapid.  He  seemed  speedily  to  have  re 
gained  his  old  calmness,  after  the  trying  disappointment  at 
Amelia  Court-House ;  and  those  who  shared  his  counsels  at 
this  time  can  testify  that  the  idea  of  surrender  scarcely  en- 


4:54:  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

tered  his  mind  for  a  moment — or,  if  it  did  so,  was  speedily 
banished.  Under  the  pressure  of  circumstances  so  adverse 
that  they  seemed  calculated  to  break  down  the  most  stubborn 
resolution,  General  Lee  did  not  falter ;  and  throughout  the 
disheartening  scenes  of  the  retreat,  from  the  moment  when  he 
left  Amelia  Court-House  to  the  hour  when  his  little  column 
was  drawing  near  Appomattox,  still  continued  to  believe 
that  the  situation  was  not  desperate,  and  that  he  would  be 
able  to  force  his  way  through  to  Lynchburg. 

On  the  evening  of  the  6th,  when  the  army  was  near 
Farmville,  a  sudden  attack  was  made  by  the  Federal  cavalry 
on  the  trains  of  the  army  moving  on  a  parallel  road ;  and 
the  small  force  of  infantry  guarding  them  was  broken  and 
scattered.  This  occurrence  took  place  while  General  Lee 
was  confronting  a  body  of  Federal  infantry  near  Sailor's 
Creek ;  and,  taking  a  small  brigade,  he  immediately  repaired 
to  the  scene  of  danger.  The  spectacle  which  followed  was 
a  very  striking  and  imposing  one,  and  is  thus  described  by 
one  who  witnessed  it :  "  The  scene  was  one  of  gloomy  pic- 
turesqueness  and  tragic  interest.  On  a  plateau  raised  above 
the  forest  from  which  they  had  emerged,  were  the  disorgan 
ized  troops  of  Ewell  and  Anderson,  gathered  in  groups,  un- 
officered,  and  uttering  tumultuous  exclamations  of  rage  and 
defiance.  Rising  above  the  weary  groups  which  had  thrown 
themselves  upon  the  ground,  were  the  grim  barrels  of  can 
non,  in  battery,  ready  to  fire,  as  soon  as  the  enemy  ap 
peared.  In  front  of  all  was  the  still  line  of  battle,  just 
placed  by  Lee,  and  waiting  calmly.  General  Lee  had 
rushed  his  infantry  over,  just  at  sunset,  leading  it  in  person, 
his  face  animated,  and  his  eye  brilliant  with  the  soldier's 
spirit  of  fight,  but  his  bearing  unflurried  as  before.  An  ar- 


THE  RETREAT  AND  SURRENDER.  455 

tist  desiring  to  paint  his  picture,  ought  to  have  seen  the  old 
cavalier  at  this  moment,  sweeping  on  upon  his  large  iron- 
gray,  whose  mane  and  tail  floated  in  the  wind  ;  carrying  his 
field-glass  half-raised  in  his  right  hand ;  with  head  erect, 
gestures  animated,  and  in  the  whole  face  and  form  the  ex 
pression  of  the  hunter  close  upon  his  game.  The  line  once 
interposed,  he  rode  in  the  twilight  among  the  disordered 
groups  above  mentioned,  and  the  sight  of  him  aroused  a 
tumult.  Fierce  cries  resounded  on  all  sides,  and,  with 
hands  clinched  violently  and  raised  aloft,  the  men  called  on 
him  to  lead  them  against  the  enemy.  '  It's  General  Lee ! ' 
'  Uncle  Robert ! '  '  Where's  the  man  who  won't  follow 
Uncle  Robert  ? '  I  heard  on  all  sides — the  swarthy  faces  full 
of  dirt  and  courage,  lit  up  every  instant  by  the  glare  of  the 
burning  wagons.  Altogether,  the  scene  was  indescribable." 

On  the  7th  the  army  pressed  on  beyond  Farmville,  still 
harassed  as  it  advanced  by  the  Federal  infantry  and  caval 
ry  ;  but,  in  some  of  these  encounters,  the  pursuing  force  met 
with  what  was  probably  a  very  unexpected  discomfiture. 
General  Fitz  Lee,  bringing  up  the  rear  of  the  army  with  his 
force  of  about  fifteen  hundred  cavalry  on  broken-down  horses, 
succeeded  not  only  in  repulsing  the  attacks  of  the  large 
and  excellently-mounted  force  under  General  Sheridan,  but 
achieved  over  them  highly -honorable  successes.  One  such 
incident  took  place  on  the  Tth,  when  General  Gregg  attacked 
with  about  six  thousand  horse,  but  was  met,  defeated,  and 
captured  by  General  Fitz  Lee,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of 
General  Lee,  who  said  to  his  son,  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee  : 

"  Keep  your  command  together  and  in  good  spirits, 
general — don't  let  them  think  of  surrender — I  will  get  you 
out  of  this." 


±56  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

On  the  8th  and  9th,  however,  this  hope  seemed  unwar 
ranted  by  the  circumstances,  and  the  commander-in-chief 
appeared  to  be  almost  the  only  human  being  who  remained 
sanguine  of  the  result.  The  hardships  of  the  retreat,  arising 
chiefly  from  want  of  food,  began  to  seriously  impair  the 
resolution  of  the  troops,  and  the  scenes  through  which  they 
advanced  were  not  calculated  to  raise  their  spirits.  "  These 
scenes,"  declares  one  who  witnessed  them,  "  were  of  a  nature 
which  can  be  apprehended  only  by  men  who  are  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  harrowing  details  of  war.  Behind  and  on 
either  flank,  a  ubiquitous  and  increasingly  adventurous  ene 
my — every  mud-hole  and  every  rise  in  the  road  choked  with 
blazing  wagons — the  air  filled  with  the  deafening  reports  of 
ammunition  exploding,  and  shells  bursting  when  touched 
by  the  flames,  dense  columns  of  smoke  ascending  to  heaven 
from  the  burning  and  exploding  vehicles,  exhausted  men, 
worn-out  mules  and  horses,  lying  down  side  by  side — gaunt 
Famine  glaring  hopelessly  from  sunken,  lack-lustre  eyes — 
dead  mules,  dead  horses,  dead  men  everywhere  —  death 
many  times  welcomed  as  God's  messenger  in  disguise — who 
can  wonder  if  many  hearts,  tried  in  the  fiery  furnace  of  four 
unparalleled  years,  and  never  hitherto  found  wanting,  should 
have  quailed  in  presence  of  starvation,  fatigue,  sleeplessness, 
misery,  unintermitted  for  five  or  six  days,  and  culminating 
in  hopelessness  ?  "  It  cannot,  however,  be  said  with  truth, 
that  any  considerable  portion  of  the  Southern  forces  were 
greatly  demoralized,  to  use  the  military  phrase,  as  the  fight 
ing  of  the  last  two  days,  when  the  sufiering  of  the  retreat  cul 
minated,  will  show.  The  men  were  almost  entirely  without 
food,  and  were  glad  to  find  a  little  corn  to  eat ;  but  those 
who  were  not  physically  unable  longer  to  carry  their  mus 

A 


THE  RETREAT  AND  SURRENDER.          457 

kets — and  the  number  of  these  latter  was  large — still 
marched  and  fought  with  soldierly  cheerfulness  and  resolu 
tion. 

General  Lee's  spirits  do  not  seem  at  any  time  to  have 
flagged,  and  up  to  a  late  period  of  the  retreat  he  had  not 
seriously  contemplated  surrender.  The  necessity  for  this 
painful  course  came  home  to  his  corps  commanders  first, 
and  they  requested  General  Pendleton,  the  efficient  chief  of 
artillery  of  the  army,  to  inform  General  Lee  that  in  their 
opinion  further  struggle  was  hopeless.  General  Pendleton 
informed  General  Lee  of  this  opinion  of  his  officers,  and  it 
seemed  to  communicate  something  like  a  shock  to  him. 

"  Surrender  !  "  he  exclaimed  with  a  flash  of  the  eye,  "  I 
have  too  many  good  fighting-men  for  that !  " 

Nevertheless,  the  necessity  of  seriously  contemplating 
this  result  was  soon  forced  upon  him.  Since  the  morning 
of  the  7th,  a  correspondence  had  taken  place  between  him 
self  and  General  Grant ;  and,  as  these  notes  are  interesting, 
we  here  present  those  which  were  exchanged  up  to  the  night 
of  the  8th: 

April  7,  1865. 
General  R.  E.  Lee,  commanding  0.  3.  A.  : 

GENERAL  :  The  result  of  the  last  week  must  convince  you  of  the 
hopelessness  of  further  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia  in  this  struggle.  I  feel  that  it  is  so,  and  regard  it  as  my  duty 
to  shift  from  myself  the  responsibility  of  any  further  effusion  of  blood, 
by  asking  of  you  the  surrender  of  that  portion  of  the  Confederate 
Southern  Army  known  as  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 
Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

U.  S.  GBANT, 

Lieutenant- General  commanding  Armies  of  the  United  States. 
31 


4-58  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

April  7,  1865. 

GENERAL  :  I  have  received  your  note  of  this  day.  Though  not 
entirely  of  the  opinion  you  express  of  the  hopelessness  of  further  re 
sistance  on  the  part  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  I  reciprocate 
your  desire  to  avoid  useless  effusion  of  blood,  and  therefore,  before 
considering  your  proposition,  ask  the  terms  you  will  offer  on  condition 
of  its  surrender. 

R.  E.  LEE,  General. 
To  LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  U.  S.  GRANT, 

Commanding  Armies  of  the  United  States. 

April  8,  1865. 
To  General  R.  E.  Lee,  commanding  C.  8.  A. : 

GENERAL  :  Your  note  of  last  evening,  in  reply  to  mine  of  the  same 
date,  asking  the  conditions  on  which  I  will  accept  the  surrender  of 
the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  is  just  received. 

In  reply,  I  would  say,  that  peace  being  my  first  desire,  there  is  but 
one  condition  that  I  insist  upon,  viz. : 

That  the  men  surrendered  shall  be  disqualified  for  taking  up  arma 
again  against  the  Government  of  the  United  States  until  properly  ex 
changed. 

I  will  meet  you,  or  designate  officers  to  meet  any  officers  you  may 
name  for  the  same  purpose,  at  any  point  agreeable  to  you,  for  the 
purpose  of  arranging  definitely  the  terms  upon  which  the  surrender  of 
the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  will  be  received. 
Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

U.  S.  GRANT, 
Lieutenant- General,  commanding  Armies  of  the  United  States. 

April  8,  1865. 

GENERAL  :  I  received,  at  a  late  hour,  your  note  of  to-day,  in  answer 
to  mine  of  yesterday. 

I  did  not  intend  to  propose  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia,  but  to  ask  the  terms  of  your  proposition.  To  be  frank,  I  do 
not  think  the  emergency  has  arisen  to  call  for  the  surrender. 


THE  RETKEAT  AND  SURRENDER.          459 

But  as  the  restoration  of  peace  should  be  the  sole  object  of  all,  I 
iesire  to  know  whether  your  proposals  would  tend  to  that  end. 

I  cannot,  therefore,  meet  you  with  a  view  to  surrender  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia ;  but  so  far  as  your  proposition  may  affect  the  Con 
federate  States  forces  under  my  command  and  tend  to  the  restoration 
of  peace,  I  should  be  pleased  to  meet  you  at  10  A.  M.  to-morrow,  on 
the  old  stage-road  to  Richmond,  between  the  picket-lines  of  the  two 
armies.  Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

R.  E.  LEE,  General  C.  8.  A. 
To  LIEUTENANT-GE:NEEAL  GKANT, 

Commanding  Armies  of  the  United  States. 

No  reply  was  received  to  this  last  communication  from 
General  Lee,  on  the  evening  of  the  8th,  and  that  night  there 
was  held,  around  a  bivouac-fire  in  the  woods,  the  last  coun 
cil  of  war  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  The  scene 
was  a  very  picturesque  one.  The  red  glare  from  the  biv 
ouac-fire  lit  up  the  group,  and  brought  out  the  details  of 
each  figure.  None  were  present  but  General  Lee  and  Gen 
erals  Longstreet,  Gordon,  and  Fitz  Lee,  all  corps  command 
ers.  Generals  Gordon  and  Fitz  Lee  half  reclined  upon  an 
army-blanket  near  the  fire ;  Longstreet  sat  upon  a  log,  smok 
ing  ;  and  General  Lee  stood  by  the  fire,  holding  in  his  hand 
the  correspondence  which  had  passed  between  himself  and 
General  Grant.  The  question  what  course  it  was  advisable 
to  pursue,  was  then  presented,  in  a  few  calm  words,  by  Gen 
eral  Lee  to  his  corps  commanders,  and  an  informal  conver 
sation  ensued.  It  was  finally  agreed  that  the  army  should 
advance,  on  the  next  morning,  beyond  Appomattox  Court- 
House,  and,  if  only  General  Sheridan's  cavalry  were  found 
in  front,  brush  that  force  from  its  path,  and  proceed  on  its 
way  to  Lynchburg.  If,  however,  the  Federal  infantry  was 


4:60  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

discovered  in  large  force  beyond  the  Court-House,  the  at 
tempt  to  break  through  was  to  be  abandoned,  and  a  flag 
dispatched  to  General  Grant  requested  an  interview  for  the 
arrangement  of  the  terms  of  a  capitulation  of  the  Southern 
army. 

With  a  heavy  heart,  General  Lee  acquiesced  in  this  plan 
of  proceeding,  and  soon  afterward  the  council  of  war  ter 
minated — the  corps  commanders  saluting  the  commander- 
in-chief,  who  returned  their  bows  with  grave  courtesy,  and 
separating  to  return  to  their  own  bivouacs. 

In  spite,  however,  of  the  discouraging  and  almost  des 
perate  condition  of  affairs,  General  Lee  seems  still  to  have 
clung  to  the  hope  that  he  might  be  able  to  cut  his  way 
through  the  force  in  his  front.  He  woke  from  brief  slum 
ber  beside  his  bivouac-fire  at  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  calling  an  officer  of  his  staff,  Colonel  Tenable, 
sent  him  to  General  Gordon,  commanding  the  fr.,Jt,  to  as 
certain  his  opinion,  at  that  moment,  of  the  probable  result 
of  an  attack  upon  the  enemy.  General  Gordon's  reply  was, 
"  Tell  General  Lee  that  my  old  corps  is  reduced  to  a  frazzle, 
and,  unless  I  am  supported  by  Longstreet  heavily,  I  do  not 
think  we  can  do  any  thing  more." 

General  Lee  received  this  announcement  with  an  expres 
sion  of  great  feeling,  and  after  a  moment's  silence  said : 
"  There  is  nothing  left  but  to  go  to  General  Grant,  and  I 
would  rather  die  a  thousand  deaths !  " 

His  staff-officers  had  now  gathered  around  him,  and  one 
of  them  said  :  '•  What  will  history  say  of  our  surrendering 
if  there  is  any  possibility  of  escape  ?  Posterity  will  not  un 
derstand  it."  To  these  words,  General  Lee  replied :  "  Yes, 
yes,  they  will  not  understand  our  situation  ;  but  that  is  not 


THE  RETREAT  AND  SURRENDER.          461 

the  question.  The  question  is,  whether  it  is  right ;  and,  if 
it  is  right,  I  take  the  responsibility." 

His  expression  of  buoyant  hopefulness  had  now  changed 
to  one  of  deep  melancholy,  and  it  was  evident  to  those 
around  him  that  the  thought  of  surrender  was  worse  to  him 
than  the  bitterness  of  death.  For  the  first  time  his  courage 
seemed  to  give  way,  and  he  was  nearly  unmanned.  Turn 
ing  to  an  officer  standing  near  him,  he  said,  his  deep  voice 
filled  with  hopeless  sadness :  "  How  easily  I  could  get  rid  of 
this,  and  be  at  rest !  I  have  only  to  ride  along  the  line  and 
all  will  be  over  !  " 

He  was  silent  for  a  short  time  after  uttering  these  words, 
and  then  added,  with  a  heavy  sigh  :  "  But  it  is  our  duty  to 
live.  "What  will  become  of  the  women  and  children  of  the 
South,  if  we  are  not  here  to  protect  them  ?  " 

The  moment  had  now  come  when  the  fate  of  the  retreat 
was  to  ue  decided.  To  General  Gordon,  who  had  proved 
himself,  in  the  last  operations  of  the  war,  a  soldier  of  the 
first  ability,  had  been  intrusted  the  command  of  the  ad 
vance  force ;  and  this  was  now  moved  forward  against  the 
enemy  beyond  Appomattox  Court-House.  Gordon  attacked 
with  his  infantry,  supported  by  Fitz  Lee's  cavalry,  and  the 
artillery  battalion  of  Colonel  Carter,  and  such  was  the  im 
petuosity  of  his  advance  that  he  drove  the  Federal  forces 
nearly  a  mile.  But  at  that  point  he  found  himself  in  face 
of  a  body  of  infantry,  stated  afterward,  by  Federal  officers, 
to  number  about  eighty  thousand.  As  his  own  force  was 
less  than  five  thousand  muskets,  he  found  it  impossible  to 
advance  farther ;  and  the  Federal  lines  were  already  press 
ing  forward  to  attack  him,  in  overwhelming  force,  when 
the  movement  suddenly  ceased.  Seeing  the  hopelessness  of 


i62  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

further  resistance,  General  Lee  had  sent  a  flag  to  General 
Grant,  requesting  an  interview  looking  to  the  arrangement, 
if  possible,  of  terms  of  surrender ;  and  to  this  end  the  for 
ward  movement  of  the  Federal  forces  was  ordered  to  be  dis 
continued. 

The  two  armies  then  remained  facing  each  other  during 
the  interview  between  the  two  commanders,  which  took 
place  in  a  farm-house  in  Appomattox  Court-House.  Gen 
eral  Lee  was  accompanied  only  bj  Colonel  Marshall,  of  his 
staff,  and  on  the  Federal  side  only  a  few  officers  were  pres 
ent.  General  Grant's  demeanor  was  courteous,  and  that  of 
General  Lee  unmarked  by  emotion  of  any  description.  The 
hardships  of  the  retreat  had  somewhat  impaired  his  strength, 
and  his  countenance  exhibited  traces  of  fatigue ;  but  no 
other  change  had  taken  place  in  his  appearance.  He  was 
erect,  calm,  courteous,  and  confined  his  observations  strictly 
to  the  disagreeable  business  before  him.  The  interview  was 
brief;  and,  seated  at  a  plain  table,  the  two  commanders 
wrote  and  exchanged  the  accompanying  papers  : 

APPOMATTOX  COURT-HOUSE,  April  9, 1865. 
General  ft.  E.  Lee,  commanding  0.  S.  A.  : 

In  accordance  with  the  substance  of  my  letter  to  you  of  the  8th 
inst.,  I  propose  to  receive  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Vir 
ginia  on  the  following  terms,  to  wit : 

Rolls  of  all  the  officers  and  men  to  be  made  in  duplicate,  one  copy 
to  be  given  to  an  officer  designated  by  me,  the  other  to  be  retained  by 
such  officers  as  you  may  designate. 

The  officers  to  give  their  individual  parole  not  to  take  arms  against 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  until .  properly  exchanged ;  and 
each  company  or  regimental  commander  to  sign  a  like  parole  for  the 
men  of  their  commands. 

The  arms,  artillery,  and  public  property,  to  be  parked  and  stacked, 
and  turned  over  to  the  officers  appointed  by  me  to  receive  them. 


THE  RETREAT  AND  SURRENDER.          463 

This  will  not  embrace  the  side-arms  of  the  officers,  nor  their  private 
horses  or  baggage. 

This  done,  each  officer  and  man  will  be  allowed  to  return  to  their 
homes,  not  to  be  disturbed  by  United  States  authority  so  long  as  they 
observe  their  parole  and  the  laws  in  force  where  they  may  reside. 
Very  respectfully, 

U.  S.  GRANT,  Lieutenant- General. 

HEADQTJABTEES  ARMY  OF  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 
April  9, 1865.  ) 

Lieut.-  General  U.  8.  Grant,  commanding  U.  8.  A. : 

GENERAL  :  I  have  received  your  letter  of  this  date,  containing  the 
terms  of  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  as  proposed  by 
you.  As  they  are  substantially  the  same  as '  those  expressed  in  your 
letter  of  the  8th  inst.,  they  are  accepted.  I  will  proceed  to  designate 
the  proper  officers  to  carry  the  stipulations  into  effect. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

E.  E.  LEE,  General. 

The  two  generals  then  bowed  to  each  other,  and,  leaving 
the  house,  General  Lee  mounted  his  gray,  and  rode  back  to 
his  headquarters. 

The  scene  as  he  passed  through  the  army  was  affecting. 
The  men  gathered  round  him,  wrung  his  hand,  and  in 
broken  words  called  upon  God  to  help  him.  This  pathetic 
reception  by  his  old  soldiers  profoundly  affected  Lee.  The 
tears  came  to  his  eyes,  and,  looking  at  the  men  with  a  glance 
of  proud  feeling,  he  said,  in  suppressed  tones,  which  trem 
bled  slightly :  "  We  have  fought  through  the  war  together. 
I  have  done  the  best  I  could  for  you.  My  heart  is  too  full 
to  say  more !  " 

These  few  words  seemed  to  be  all  he  could  utter.  He 
rode  on,  and,  reaching  his  headquarters  in  the  woods,  disap 
peared  in  his  tent,  whither  we  shall  not  follow  him. 


LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

On  the  next  day  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  num 
bering  about  twenty-six  thousand  men,  of  whom  but  seven 
thousand  eight  hundred  carried  muskets,  was  formally  sur 
rendered,  and  the  Confederate  "War  was  a  thing  of  the  past. 


XVII. 

LEE    EETUENS    TO    RICHMOND. 

GENERAL  LEE,  on  the  day  following  the  capitulation  of 
his  army,  issued  an  address  to  his  old  soldiers,  which  they 
received  and  read  with  very  deep  emotion.  The  address 
was  in  these  words  : 

HEADQUARTERS  ABUT  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 
April  10,  1865.  \ 

After  four  years  of  arduous  service,  marked  by  unsurpassed  courage 
and  fortitude,  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  has  been  compelled  to 
yield  to  overwhelming  numbers  and  resources. 

I  need  not  tell  the  survivors  of  so  many  hard-fought  battles,  who 
have  remained  steadfast  to  the  last,  that  I  have  consented  to  this  result 
from  no  distrust  of  them ;  but,  feeling  that  valor  and  devotion  could 
accomplish  nothing  that  could  compensate  for  the  loss  that  would  have 
attended  the  continuation  of  the  contest,  I  have  determined  to  avoid 
the  useless  sacrifice  of  those  whose  past  services  have  endeared  them 
to  their  countrymen. 

By  the  terms  of  agreement,  officers  and  men  can  return  to  theii 
homes  and  remain  there  until  exchanged. 

You  will  take  with  you  the  satisfaction  that  proceeds  from  the  con 
sciousness  of  duty  faithfully  performed ;  and  I  earnestly  pray  that  a 
merciful  God  will  extend  to  you  His  blessing  and  protection. 

With  an  unceasing  admiration  of  your  constancy  and  devotion  to 
your  country,  and  a  grateful  remembrance  of  your  kind  and  generous 
consideration  of  myself,  I  bid  you  an  affectionate  farewell. 

R.  E.  LEE,  General. 


LEE  RETURNS  TO  RICHMOND. 

The  painful  arrangements  connected  with  the  capitula 
tion  were  on  this  day  concluded  ;  and  General  Lee  prepared 
to  set  out  on  his  return  to  Richmond — like  his  men,  a  "  pa 
roled  prisoner  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia."  The 
parting  between  him  and  his  soldiers  was  pathetic.  He  ex 
changed  with  all  near  him  a  close  pressure  of  the  hand, 
uttered  a  few  simple  words  of  farewell,  and,  mounting  his 
»ron  -  gray,  "  Traveller,"  who  had  passed  through  all  the 
fighting  of  the  campaign  unharmed,  rode  slowly  in  the  di 
rection  of  Richmond.  He  was  escorted  by  a  detachment  of 
Federal  cavalry,  preceded  only  by  a  guidon ;  and  the  party, 
including  the  officers  who  accompanied  him,  consisted  of 
about  twenty-five  horsemen.  The  cortege  was  followed  by 
several  wagons  carrying  the  private  effects  of  himself  and 
his  companions,  and  by  the  well-known  old  black  open 
vehicle  which  he  had  occasionally  used  during  the  cam 
paigns  of  the  preceding  year,  when  indisposition  prevented 
him  from  mounting  his  horse.  In  this  vehicle  it  had  been 
his  custom  to  carry  stores  for  the  wounded — it  had  never  been 
used  for  articles  contributing  to  his  personal  convenience. 

General  Lee's  demeanor  on  his  way  to  Richmond  was 
entirely  composed,  and  his  thoughts  seemed  much  more  oc 
cupied  by  the  unfortunate  condition  of  the  poor  people,  at 
whose  houses  he  stopped,  than  by  his  own  situation.  "When 
he  found  that  all  along  his  route  the  impoverished  people 
had  cooked  provisions  in  readiness  for  him,  and  were  look 
ing  anxiously  for  him,  with  every  indication  of  love  and  ad 
miration,  he  said  to  one  of  his  officers :  "  These  good  people 
are  kind — too  kind.  Their  hearts  are  as  full  as  when  we 
began  our  first  campaigns  in  1861.  They  do  too  much — • 
more  than  they  are  able  to  do — for  us." 


466  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

His  soldierly  habits  remained  unchanged,  and  he  seemed 
unwilling  to  indulge  in  any  luxuries  or  comforts  which 
could  not  be  shared  by  the  gentlemen  accompanying  him 
At  a  house  which  he  reached  just  as  night  came,  a  pooi 
woman  had  prepared  an  excellent  bed  for  him,  but,  with  a 
courteous  shake  of  the  head,  he  spread  his  blanket,  and 
slept  upon  the  floor.  Stopping  on  the  next  day  at  the  house 
of  his  brother,  Charles  Carter  Lee,  in  Powhatan,  he  spent 
the  evening  in  conversation ;  but,  when  bedtime  came,  left 
the  house,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  had  begun  to  rain,  and, 
crossing  the  road  into  the  woods,  took  up  his  quarters  for 
the  night  on  the  hard  planks  of  his  old  black  vehicle.  On 
the  route  he  exhibited  great  solicitude  about  a  small  quan 
tity  of  oats  which  he  had  brought  with  him,  in  one  of  the 
wagons,  for  his  old  companion,  "  Traveller,"  mentioning  it 
more  than  once,  and  appearing  anxious  lest  it  should  be  lost 
or  used  by  some  one. 

The  party  came  in  sight  of  Richmond  at  last,  and,  two 
or  three  miles  from  the  city,  General  Lee  rode  ahead  of  his 
escort,  accompanied  only  by  a  few  officers,  and,  crossing  the 
pontoon  bridge  below  the  ruins  of  Mayo's  bridge,  which  had 
been  destroyed  when  the  Confederate  forces  retreated,  en 
tered  the  capital.  The  spectacle  which  met  his  eyes  at  this 
moment  must  have  been  exceedingly  painful.  In  the  great 
conflagration  which  had  taken  place  on  the  morning  of  the 
3d  of  April,  a  large  portion  of  the  city  had  been  burned ; 
and,  as  General  Lee  rode  up  Main  Street,  formerly  so  hand 
some  and  attractive,  he  saw  on  either  hand  only  masses  of 
blackened  ruins.  As  he  rode  slowly  through  the  opening 
between  these  masses  of  debris,  he  was  recognized  by  the 
few  persons  who  were  on  the  street,  and  instantly  the  intel 


LEE   RETURNS  TO  RICHMOND.  467 

ligence  of  his  presence  spread  through  the  city.  The  inhab 
itants  hastened  from  their  houses  and  flocked  to  welcome 
him,  saluting  him  with  cheers  and  the  waving  of  hats  and 
handkerchiefs.  He  seemed  desirous,  however,  of  avoiding 
this  ovation,  and,  returning  the  greeting  by  simply  raising 
his  hat,  rode  on  and  reached  his  house  on  Franklin  Street, 
where,  respecting  his  desire  for  privacy  under  circumstances 
so  painful,  his  admirers  did  not  intrude  upon  him. 

We  have  presented  this  brief  narrative  of  the  incidents 
attending  General  Lee's  return  to  his  home  after  the  surren 
der,  to  show  with  what  simplicity  and  good  sense  he  accept 
ed  his  trying  situation.  A  small  amount  of  diplomacy — 
sending  forward  one  of  his  officers  to  announce  his  intended 
arrival ;  stopping  for  a  few  moments  as  he  ascended  Main 
Street ;  making  an  address  to  the  citizens  who  first  recog 
nized  him,  and  thus  affording  time  for  a  crowd  to  assemble 
— these  proceedings  on  the  part  of  General  Lee  would  have 
resulted  in  an  ovation  such  as  a  vanquished  commander 
never  before  received  at  the  hands  of  any  people.  Nothing, 
however,  was  less  desired  by  General  Lee  than  this  tumultu 
ous  reception.  The  native  modesty  of  the  man  not  only 
shrunk  from  such  an  ovation ;  he  avoided  it  for  another 
reason— the  pretext  it  would  probably  afford  to  the  Federal 
authorities  to  proceed  to  harsh  measures  against  the  unfor 
tunate  persons  who  took  part  in  it.  In  accordance  with 
these  sentiments,  General  Lee  had  not  announced  his  com 
ing,  had  not  stopped  as  he  rode  through  the  city ;  and  now, 
shutting  himself  up  in  his  house,  signified  his  desire  to  avoid 
a  public  reception,  and  to  be  left  in  privacy. 

This  policy  he  is  well  known  to  have  pursued  from  that 
time  to  the  end  of  his  life.  He  uniformly  declined,  with 


£68  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

great  courtesy,  but  firmly,  invitations  to  attend  public  gath 
erings  of  any  description,  where  his  presence  might  arouse 
passions  or  occasion  discussions  connected  with  the  great 
contest  in  which  he  had  been  the  leader  of  the  South.  A 
mind  less  firm  and  noble  would  doubtless  have  yielded  to>/ 
this  great  temptation.  It  is  sweet  to  the  soldier,  who  has 
been  overwhelmed  and  has  yielded  up  his  sword,  to  feel  that 
the  love  and  admiration  of  a  people  still  follow  him ;  and  to 
have  the  consolation  of  receiving  public  evidences  of  this 
unchanged  devotion.  That  this  love  of  the  Southern  people 
for  Lee  deeply  touched  him,  there  can  be  no  doubt ;  but  it 
did  not  blind  him  to  his  duty  as  the  representative  individ 
ual  of  the  South.  Feeling  that  nothing  was  now  left  the  I 
Southern  people  but  an  honest  acceptance  of  the  situation, 
and  a  cessation,  as  far  as  possible,  of  all  rancor  toward  the 
North,  he  refused  to  encourage  sentiments  of  hostility  be 
tween  the  two  sections,  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  restore^ 
amicable  feeling.  "  I  am  very  glad  to  learn,"  he  said  in  a 
note  to  the  present  writer, "  that  your  life  of  General  Jackson 
is  of  the  character  you  describe.  I  think  all  topics  or  ques 
tions  calculated  to  excite  angry  discussion  or  hostile  feelings 
should  be  avoided."  These  few  words  convey  a  distinct 
idea  of  General  Lee's  views  and  feelings.  He  had  fought 
to  the  best  of  his  ability  for  Southern  independence  of  the 
North  ;  the  South  had  failed  in  the  struggle,  and  it  was  now, 
in  his  opinion,  the  duty  of  every  good  citizen  to  frankly 
acquiesce  in  the  result,  and  endeavor  to  avoid  all  that  kept 
open  the  bleeding  wounds  of  the  country. 

His  military  career  had  placed  him,  in  the  estimation  oi 
the  first  men  of  his  time,  among  the  greatest  soldiers  of  his 
tory  ;  but  the  dignity  and  moderation  of  the  course  pursued 


GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  WAR.          469 

by  him,  from  the  end  of  the  war  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
will  probably  remain,  in  the  opinion  of  both  his  friends  and 
enemies,  the  noblest  illustration  of  the  character  of  the  man. 


XYIIL 

GENERAL    LEE    AFTER    THE    WAR. 

IN  the  concluding  pages  of  this  volume  we  shall  not  be 
called  upon  to  narrate  either  military  or  political  events. 
With  the  surrender  at  Appomattox  Court-House  the  Con 
federate  War  ended — no  attempt  was  made  by  General 
Johnston  or  other  commanders  to  prolong  it — in  that  great 
whirlpool  all  hopes  of  further  resistance  disappeared. 

We  have,  therefore,  now  no  task  before  us  but  to  follow 
General  Lee  into  private  life,  and  present  a  few  details  of 
his  latter  years,  and  his  death.  These  notices  will  be  brief, 
but  will  not,  we  hope,  be  devoid  of  interest.  The  soldier 
who  had  so  long  led  the  Confederate  armies  was  to  enter  in 
his  latter  days  upon  a  new  field  of  labor ;  and,  if  in  this  field 
he  won  no  new  glories,  he  at  least  displayed  the  loftiest  vir 
tues,  and  exhibited  that  rare  combination  of  greatness  and 
gentleness  which  makes  up  a  character  altogether  lovely. 

Adhering  to  the  resolution,  formed  in  1861,  never  again    } 
to  draw  his  sword  except  in  defence  of  Virginia,  General 
Lee,  after  the  surrender,  sought  for  some  occupation,  feeling 
the  necessity,  doubtless,  of  in  some  manner  employing 
energies.    He  is  said  to  have  had  offered  to  him,  but  to 
have  courteously  declined,  estates  in  England  and  Ireland  ; 
and  to  have  also  declined  the  place  of  commercial  agent  of 
the  South  in  New  York,  which  would  have  proved  exceed- 


±70  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

ingly  lucrative.  In  the  summer  of  1865,  however,  lie  ac  ' 
cepted  an  offer  more  congenial  to  his  feelings — that  of  the 
presidency  of  "Washington  College  at  Lexington — and  in  the 
autumn  of  that  year  entered  upon  his  duties,  which  he  con 
tinued  to  perform  with  great  energy  and  success  to  the  day^/ 
of  his  death.  Of  the  excellent  judgment  and  great  adminis 
trative  capacity  which  he  displayed  in  this  new  field  of  la 
bor,  we  have  never  heard  any  question.  It  was  the  name 
and  example,  however,  of  Lee  which  proved  so  valuable, 
drawing  to  the  college  more  than  five  hundred  students 
from  all  portions  of  the  South,  and  some  even  from  the 
North. 

Upon  the  subject  of  General  Lee's  life  at  Washington 
College,  a  more  important  authority  than  that  of  the  pres 
ent  writer  will  soon  speak.  In  the  "  Memorial  Volume," 
whose  publication  will  probably  precede  or  immediately 
follow  the  appearance  of  this  work,  full  details  will,  no 
doubt,  be  presented  of  this  interesting  period.  The  subject 
possesses  rare  interest,  and  the  facts  presented  will,  beyond 
all  question,  serve  to  bring  out  new  beauties  in  a  character 
already  regarded  with  extraordinary  love  and  admiration  by 
men  of  all  parties  and  opinions.  To  the  volume  in  question 
we  refer  the  reader  who  desires  the  full-length  portrait  of 
one  concerning  whom  too  much  cannot  be  written. 

During  the  period  extending  between  the  end  of  the  war 
and  General  Lee's  death,  he  appeared  in  public  but  two  or 
three  times — once  at  "Washington,  as  a  "  witness  "  before  a 
Congressional  committee,  styled  "  The  Reconstruction  Com 
mittee,"  to  inquire  into  the  condition  of  things  in  the-South ; 
again,  as  a  witness  on  the  proposed  trial  of  President  Davis ; 
and  perhaps  on  one  or  two  additional  occasions  not  of  great 


GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  WAR. 

interest  or  importance.  His  testimony  was  not  taken  on 
the  trial  of  the  President,  which  was  deferred  and  finally 
abandoned;  but  he  was  subjected  before  the  "Washington 
committee  to  a  long  and  searching  examination,  in  which  it 
is  difficult  to  decide  whether  his  own  calmness,  good  sense, 
and  outspoken  frankness,  or  the  bad  taste  of  some  of  the 
questions  prepounded  to  him,  were  the  more  remarkable. 
As  the  testimony  of  General  Lee,  upon  this  occasion,  pre 
sents  a  full  exposition  of  his  views  upon  many  of  the  most 
important  points  connected  with  the  condition  of  the  South, 
and  the  "reconstruction"  policy,  a  portion  of  the  news 
paper  report  of  his  evidence  is  here  given,  as  both  calculated 
to  interest  the  reader,  and  to  illustrate  the  subject. 

The  examination  of  General  Lee  took  place  in  March, 
1866,  and  the  following  is  the  main  portion  of  it : 

General  EGBERT  E.  LEE,  sworn  and  examined  by  Mr.  Howard : 

Question.  Where  is  your  present  residence  ? 

Answer.  Lexington,  Va. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  resided  in  Lexington  ? 

A.  Since  the  1st  of  October  last — nearly  five  months. 

THE  FEELING  IN  VIRGINIA. 

Q.  Are  you  acquainted  with  the  state  of  feeling  among  what  we 
call  secessionists  in  Virginia,  at  present,  toward  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  I  am  ;  I  have  been  living  very  retired,  and 
have  had  but  little  communication  with  politicians ;  I  know  nothing 
more  than  from  my  own  observation,  and  from  such  facts  as  have  come 
to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  From  your  observation,  what  is  your  opinion  as  to  the  loyalty 
toward  the  Government  of  the  United  States  among  the  secession  por 
tion  of  the  people  of  that  State  at  this  time  ? 

A.  So  far  as1  has  come  to  my  knowledge,  I  do  not  know  of  a  single 


LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

person  who  either  feels  or  contemplates  any  resistance  to  the  Govern- 
ment  of  the  United  States,  or  indeed  any  opposition  to  it ;  no  word 
has  reached  me  to  either  purpose. 

Q.  From  what  you  have  observed  among  them,  is  it  your  opinion 
that  they  are  friendly  toward  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
and  that  they  will  cooperate  to  sustain  and  uphold  the  Government 
for  the  future  ? 

A.  I  believe  that  they  entirely  acquiesce  in  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  and,  so  far  as  I  have  heard  any  one  express  an  opinion, 
they  are  for  cooperating  with  President  Johnson  in  his  policy. 

Q.  In  his  policy  in  regard  to  what  ? 

A.  His  policy  in  regard  to  the  restoration  of  the  whole  country ;  I 
have  heard  persons  with  whom  I  have  conversed  express  great  confi 
dence  in  the  wisdom  of  his  policy  of  restoration,  and  they  seem  to  look 
forward  to  it  as  a  hope  of  restoration. 

Q.  How  do  they  feel  in  regard  to  that  portion  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States  who  have  been  forward  and  zealous  in  the  prosecution 
of  the  war  against  the  rebellion  ? 

A.  Well,  I  don't  know  as  I  have  heard  anybody  express  any  opinion 
in  regard  to  it ;  as  I  said  before,  I  have  not  had  much  communication 
with  politicians  in  the  country,  if  there  are  any ;  every  one  seems  to  be 
engaged  in  his  own  affairs,  and  endeavoring  to  restore  the  civil  govern 
ment  of  the  State ;  I  have  heard  no  expression  of  a  sentiment  toward 
any  particular  portion  of  the  country. 

Q.  How  do  the  secessionists  feel  in  regard  to  the  payment  of  the 
debt  of  the  United  States  contracted  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war  ? 

A.  I  have  hever  heard  any  one  speak  on  the  subject ;  I  suppose 
they  must  expect  to  pay  the  taxes  levied  by  the  Government ;  I  have 
heard  them  speak  in  reference  to  the  payment  of  taxes,  and  of  their  ef 
forts  to  raise  money  to  pay  taxes,  which,  I  suppose,  are  for  their  share 
of  the  debt ;  I  have  never  heard  any  one  speak  in  opposition  to  the 
payment  of  taxes,  or  of  resistance  to  their  payment ;  their  whole  effort 
has  been  to  try  and  raise  the  money  for  the  payment  of  the  taxes. 

THE  DEBT. 
Q.  From  your  knowledge  of  the  state  of  public  feeling  in  Virginia, 


GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  WAR. 

is  it  your  opinion  that  the  people  would,  if  the  question  were  left  to 
them,  repudiate  and  reject  that  debt  ? 

A.  I  never  heard  any  one  speak  on  that  subject ;  but,  from  my  knowl 
edge  of  the  people,  I  believe  that  they  would  be  in  favor  of  the  payment 
of  all  just  debts. 

Q.  Do  they,  in  your  opinion,  regard  that  as  a  just  debt  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  what  their  opinion  is  on  the  subject  of  that  par 
ticular  debt ;  I  have  never  heard  any  opinion  expressed  contrary  to  it ; 
indeed,  as  I  said  in  the  beginning,  I  have  had  very  little  discussion  or 
intercourse  with  the  people ;  I  believe  the  people  will  pay  the  debts 
they  are  called  upon  to  pay ;  I  say  that  from  my  knowledge  of  the  peo 
ple  generally. 

Q.  Would  they  pay  that  debt,  or  their  portion  of  it,  with  as  much 
alacrity  as  people  ordinarily  pay  their  taxes  to  their  Government  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  they  would  make  any  distinction  between 
the  two.  The  taxes  laid  by  the  Government,  so  far  as  I  know,  they  are 
prepared  to  pay  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  I  never  heard  them  make 
any  distinction. 

Q.  What  is  the  feeling  of  that  portion  of  the  people  of  Virginia  in  ' 
regard  to  the  payment  of  the  so-called  Confederate  debt  ? 

A.  I  believe,  so  far  as  my  opinion  goes — I  have  no  facts  to  go  upon, 
but  merely  base  my  opinion  on  the  knowledge  I  have  of  the  people — 
that  they  would  be  willing  to  pay  the  Confederate  debt,  too. 

Q.  You  think  they  would  ? 

A.  I  think  they  would,  if  they  had  the  power  and  ability  to  do  so. 
I  have  never  heard  any  one  in  the  State,  with  whom  I  have  conversed, 
speak  of  repudiating  any  debt. 

Q.  I  suppose  the  Confederate  debt  is  almost  entirely  valueless,  even 
in  the  market  in  Virginia  ? 

A.  Entirely  so,  as  far  as  I  know.  I  believe  the  people  generally  look 
upon  it  as  lost  entirely.  I  never  heard  any  question  on  the  subject. 

Q.  Do  you  recollect  the  terms  of  the  Confederate  bonds— when  they 
were  made  payable  ? 

A.  I  think  I  have  a  general  recollection  that  they  were  made  pay 
able  six  months  after  a  declaration  of  peace. 


LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

Q.  Six  months  after  the  ratification  of  a  treaty  of  peace  between  the 
United  States  and  the  Confederate  Government  ? 

A.  I  think  they  ran  that  way. 

Q.  So  that  the  bonds  are  not  due  yet  by  their  terms  ? 

A.  I  suppose,  unless  it  is  considered  that  there  is  a  peace  now,  they 
are  not  due. 

THE  FREEDMEN. 

Q.  How  do  the  people  of  Virginia,  secessionists  more  particularly, 
feel  toward  the  freedmen  ? 

A.  Every  one  with  whom  I  associate  expresses  the  kindest  feelings 
toward  the  freedmen.  They  wish  to  see  them  get  on  in  the  world,  and 
particularly  to  take  up  some  occupation  for  a  living,  and  to  turn  their 
hands  to  some  work.  I  know  that  efforts  have  been  made  among  the 
farmers  near  where  I  live  to  induce  them  to  engage  for  the  year  at  regu 
lar  wages. 

Q.  Do  you  think  there  is  a  willingness  on  the  part  of  their  old  mas 
ters  to  give  them  fair  living  wages  for  their  labor  ? 

A.  I  believe  it  is  so ;  the  farmers  generally  prefer  those  servants 
who  have  been  living  with  them  before ;  I  have  heard  them  express 
their  preferences  for  the  men  whom  they  knew,  who  had  lived  with 
them  before,  and  their  wish  to  get  them  to  return  to  work. 

Q.  Are  you  aware  of  the  existence  of  any  combination  among  the 
"  whites  "  to  keep  down  the  wages  of  the  "  blacks  ? " 

A.  I  am  not ;  I  have  heard  that  in  several  counties  the  land-owners 
have  met  in  order  to  establish  a  uniform  rate  of  wages,  but  I  never 
heard,  nor  do  I  know  of  any  combination  to  keep  down  wages  or  es 
tablish  any  rule  which  they  did  not  think  fair ;  the  means  of  paying 
wages  in  Virginia  are  very  limited  now,  and  there  is  a  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  how  much  each  person  is  able  to  pay. 

Q.  How  do  they  feel  in  regard  to  the  education  of  the  blacks  ?  Is 
there  a  general  willingness  to  have  them  educated  ? 

A.  Where  I  am,  and  have  been,  the  people  have  exhibited  a  willing 
ness  that  the  blacks  should  be  educated,  and  they  express  an  opinion 
that  it  would  be  better  for  the  blacks  and  better  for  the  whites. 

Q.  General,  you  are  very  competent  to  judge  of  the  capacity  of 


GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  WAR.  4.75 

black  men  for  acquiring  knowledge — I  want  your  opinion  on  that  ca 
pacity  as  compared  with  the  capacity  of  white  men  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  I  am  particularly  qualified  to  speak  on  that 
subject,  as  you  seem  to  intimate,  but  I  do  not  think  that  the  black  man 
is  as  capable  of  acquiring  knowledge  as  the  white  man.  There  are 
some  more  apt  than  others.  I  have  known  some  to  acquire  knowledge 
and  skill  in  their  trade  or  profession.  I  have  had  servants  of  my  own 
who  learned  to  read  and  write  very  well. 

Q.  Do  they  show  a  capacity  to  obtain  knowledge  of  mathematics 
and  the  exact  sciences  ? 

A.  I  have  no  knowledge  on  that  subject ;  I  am  merely  acquainted 
with  those  who  have  learned  the  common  rudiments  of  education. 

Q.  General,  are  you  aware  of  the  existence  among  the  blacks  of 
Virginia,  anywhere  within  the  limits  of  the  State,  of  combinations, 
having  in  view  the  disturbance  of  the  peace,  or  any  improper  or  un 
lawful  acts  ? 

A.  I  am  not ;  I  have  seen  no  evidence  of  it,  and  have  heard  of 
none ;  wherever  I  have  been  they  have  been  quiet  and  orderly ;  not 
disposed  to  work ;  or,  rather,  not  disposed  to  any  continuous  engage 
ment  to  work,  but  just  very  short  jobs  to  provide  them  with  the  im 
mediate  means  of  subsistence. 

Q.  Has  the  colored  race  generally  as  great  love  of  money  and  prop 
erty  as  the  white  race  possesses  ? 

A.  I  do  not  think  it  has ;  the  blacks  with  whom  I  am  acquainted 
look  more  to  the  present  time  than  to  the  future. 

Q.  Does  that  absence  of  a  lust  of  money  and  property  arise  more 
from  the  nature  of  the  negro  than  from  his  former  servile  condition  ? 

A.  Well,  it  may  be  in  some  measure  attributed  to  his  former  condi 
tion  ;  they  are  an  amiable,  social  race ;  they  like  their  ease  and  com 
fort,  and  I  think  look  more  to  their  present  than  to  their  future  con 
dition. 

IN  CASE  OF  WAB,  WOULD  VIBGINIA  JOIN  OUR  ENEMIES  ? 
Q.  In  the  event  of  a  war  between  the  United  States  and  any  foreign 
power,  such  as  England  or  France,  if  there  should  be  held  out  to  the 
secession  portion  of  the  people  of  Virginia,  or  the  other  recently  rebel 


±76  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

States,  a  fair  prospect  of  gaining  their  independence  and  shaking  off 
the  Government  of  the  United  States,  is  it  or  is  it  not  your  opinion 
that  they  would  avail  themselves  of  that  opportunity  ? 

A.  I  cannot  answer  with  any  certainty  on  that  point;  I  do  not 
know  how  far  they  might  be  actuated  by  their  feelings ;  I  have  nothing 
whatever  to  base  an  opinion  upon ;  so  far  as  I  know,  they  contemplate 
nothing  of  the  kind  now ;  what  may  happen  in  the  future  I  cannot  say. 

Q.  Do  you  not  frequently  hear,  in  your  intercourse  with  secessionists 
in  Virginia,  expressions  of  a  hope  that  such  a  war  may  break  out  ? 

A.  I  cannot  say  that  I  have  heard  it ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  heard 
persons — I  do  not  know  whether  you  could  call  them  secessionists  or 
not,  I  mean  those  people  in  Virginia  with  whom  I  associate — express 
the  hope  that  the  country  may  not  be  led  into  a  war. 

Q.  In  such  an  event,  do  you  not  think  that  that  class  of  people 
whom  I  call  secessionists  would  join  the  common  enemy  ? 

A.  It  is  possible ;  it  depends  upon  the  feeling  of  the  individual. 

Q.  If  it  is  a  fair  question — you  may  answer  or  not,  as  you  choose — 
what,  in  such  an  event,  might  be  your  choice  ? 

A.  I  have  no  disposition  now  to  do  it,  and  I  never  have  had. 

Q.  And  you  cannot  foresee  that  such  would  be  your  inclination  in 
such  an  event  ? 

A.  No ;  I  can  only  judge  from  the  past ;  I  do  not  know  what  cir 
cumstances  it  may  produce ;  I  cannot  pretend  to  foresee  events ;  so  far 
as  I  know  the  feeling  of  the  people  of  Virginia,  they  wish  for  peace. 

Q.  During  the  civil  war,  was  it  not  contemplated  by  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  Confederacy  to  form  an  alliance  with  some  foreign  nation 
if  possible  ? 

A.  I  believe  it  was  their  wish  to  do  so  if  they  could ;  it  was  their 
wish  to  have  the  Confederate  Government  recognized  as  an  indepen 
dent  government ;  I  have  no  doubt  that  if  it  could  have  made  favor 
able  treaties  it  would  have  done  so,  but  I  know  nothing  of  the  policy 
of  the  government ;  I  had  no  hand  or  part  in  it ;  I  merely  express  my 
own  opinion. 

Q.  The  question  I  am  about  to  put  to  you,  you  may  answer  or  not, 
as  you  choose.  Did  you  take  an  oath  of  fidelity,  or  allegiance,  to  the 
Confederate  Government  ? 


GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE   WAR. 

A.  I  do  not  recollect  having  done  so,  but  it  is  possible  that  when  1 
was  commissioned  I  did ;  I  do  not  recollect  whether  it  was  required ; 
if  it  was  required,  I  took  it,  or  if  it  had  been  required  I  would  have 
taken  it ;  but  I  do  not  recollect  whether  it  was  or  not. 

Q.  (By  Mr.  Blow.)  In  reference  to  the  effect  of  President  Johnson's 
policy,  if  it  were  adopted,  would  there  be  any  thing  like  a  return  of 
the  old  feeling  ?  I  ask  that  because  you  used  the  expression  "  acqui 
escing  in  the  result." 

A.  I  believe  it  would  take  time  for  the  feelings  of  the  people  to  be 
of  that  cordial  nature  to  the  Government  they  were  formerly. 

Q.  Do  t  you  think  that  their  preference  for  that  policy  arises  from  a 
desire  to  have  peace  and  good  feeling  in  the  country,  or  from  the 
probability  of  their  regaining  political  power  ? 

PRESIDENT  JOHNSON'S  POLICY. 

A.  So  far  as  I  know  the  desire  of  the  people  of  the  South,  it  is  for 
restoration  of  their  civil  government,  and  they  look  upon  the  policy 
of  President  Johnson  as  the  one  which  would  most  clearly  and  most 
surely  reestablish  it. 

CONDITION  OF  THE  POORER  CLASSES. 

Q.  Do  you  see  any  change  among  the  poorer  classes  in  Virginia,  in 
reference  to  industry  ?  Are  they  as  much,  or  more,  interested  in  de 
veloping  their  material  interests  than  they  were  ? 

A.  I  have  not  observed  any  change ;  every  one  now  has  to  attend 
to  his  business  for  his  support. 

Q.  The  poorer  classes  are  generally  hard  at  work,  are  they  ? 

A.  So  far  as  I  know,  they  are ;  I  know  nothing  to  the  contrary. 

Q.  Is  there  any  difference  in  their  relations  to  the  colored  people  ? 
Is  their  prejudice  increased  or  diminished  ? 

A.  I  have  noticed  no  change ;  so  far  as  I  do  know  the  feelings  of 
all  the  people  of  Virginia,  they  are  kind  to  the  colored  people ;  I  have 
never  heard  any  blame  attributed  to  them  as  to  the  present  condition 
of  things,  or  any  responsibility. 

Q.  There  are  very  few  colored  laborers  employed,  I  suppose  ? 


LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

A.  Those  who  own  farms  have  employed,  more  or  less,  one  or  two 
colored  laborers ;  some  are  so  poor  that  they  have  to  work  themselves. 

Q.  Can  capitalists  and  workingmen  from  the  North  go  into  any 
portion  of  Virginia  with  which  you  are  familiar  and  go  to  work  among 
the  people  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  of  any  thing  to  prevent  them.  Their  peace  and 
pleasure  there  would  depend  very  much  on  their  conduct.  If  they 
confined  themselves  to  their  own  business  and  did  not  interfere  to  pro 
voke  controversies  with  their  neighbors,  I  do  not  believe  they  would 
be  molested. 

Q.  There  is  no  desire  to  keep  out  capital  ? 

A.  Not  that  I  know  of.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  very  anxious  to 
get  capital  into  the  State. 

Q.  You  see  nothing  of  a  disposition  to  prevent  such  a  thing  ? 

A.  I  have  seen  nothing,  and  do  not  know  of  any  thing,  as  I  said 
before ;  the  manner  in  which  they  would  be  received  would  depend 
entirely  upon  the  individuals  themselves ;  they  might  make  themselves 
obnoxious,  as  you  can  understand. 

Q.  (By  Mr.  Howard.)  Is  there  not  a  general  dislike  of  Northern 
men  among  secessionists  ? 

A.  I  suppose  they  would  prefer  not  to  associate  with  them  ;  I  do 
not  know  that  they  would  select  them  as  associates. 

Q.  Do  they  avoid  and  ostracize  them  socially  ? 

A.  They  might  avoid  them ;  they  would  not  select  them  as  asso 
ciates  unless  there  was  some  reason ;  I  do  not  know  that  they  would 
associate  with  them  unless  they  became  acquainted ;  I  think  it  probable 
they  would  not  admit  them  into  their  social  circles. 

THE  POSITION  OF  THE  COLORED  RACE. 

Q.  (By  Mr.  Blow.)  What  is  the  position  of  the  colored  men  in 
Virginia  with  reference  to  persons  they  work  for  ?  Do  you  think  thej 
would  prefer  to  work  for  Northern  or  Southern  men  ? 

A.  I  think  it  very  probable  they  would  prefer  the  Northern  man, 
although  I  have  no  facts  to  go  upon. 

Q.  That  having  been  stated  very  frequently  in  reference  to  the 


GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  WAR.  4.79 

cotton  States,  does  it  result  from  a  .bad  treatment  on  the  part  of  the 
resident  population,  or  from  the  idea  that  they  will  be  more  fairly 
treated  by  the  new-comers  ?  "What  is  your  observation  in  that  respect 
in  regard  to  Virginia  ? 

A.  I  have  no  means  of  forming  an  opinion ;  I  do  not  know  any 
case  in  Virginia ;  I  know  of  numbers  of  the  blacks  engaging  with  their 
old  masters,  and  I  know  of  many  to  prefer  to  go  off  and  look  for  new 
homes  ;  whether  it  is  from  any  dislike  of  their  former  masters,  or  from 
any  desire  to  change,  or  they  feel  more  free  and  independent,  I  don't 
know. 

THE  MATERIAL  INTERESTS  OF  VIRGINIA. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  in  regard  to  the  material  interests  of  Vir 
ginia  ;  do  you  think  they  will  be  equal  to  what  they  were  before  the 
rebellion  under  the  changed  aspect  of  affairs  ? 

A.  It  will  take  a  long  time  for  them  to  reach  their  former  standard ; 
I  think  that  after  some  years  they  will  reach  it,  and  I  hope  exceed  it ; 
but  it  cannot  be  immediately,  in  my  opinion. 

Q.  It  will  take  a  number  of  years  ? 

A.  It-  will  take  a  number  of  years,  I  think. 

Q.  On  the  whole,  the  condition  of  things  in  Virginia  is  hopeful 
both  in  regard  to  its  material  interests  and  the  future  peace  of  the 
country  ? 

A.  I  have  heard  great  hopes  expressed,  and  there  is  great  cheerful 
ness  and  willingness  to  labor. 

Q.  Suppose  this  policy  of  President  Johnson  should  be  all  you  an 
ticipate,  and  that  you  should  also  realize  all  that  you  expect  in  the 
improvement  of  the  material  interests,  do  you  think  that  the  result  of 
that  will  be  the  gradual  restoration  of  the  old  feeling  ? 

A.  That  will  be  the  natural  result,  I  think ;  and  I  see  no  other  way 
in  which  that  result  can  be  brought  about. 

Q.  There  is  a  fear  in  the  public  mind  that  the  friends  of  the  policy 
in  the  South  adopt  it  because  they  see  in  it  the  means  of  repairing  the 
political  position  which  they  lost  in  the  recent  contest.  Do  you  think 
that  that  is  the  main  idea  with  them,  or  that  they  merely  look  to  it,  as 


4-80  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

you  say,  as  the  best  means  of  restoring  civil  government  and  the  peace 
and  prosperity  of  their  respective  States  ? 

A.  As  to  the  first  point  you  make,  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  heard 
any  person  speak  upon  it ;  I  never  heard  the  points  separated  ;  I  have 
heard  them  speak  generally  as  to  the  effect  of  the  policy  of  President 
Johnson ;  the  feeling  is,  so  far  as  I  know  now,  that  there  is  not  that 
equality  extended  to  the  Southern  States  which  is  enjoyed  by  the 
North. 

Q.  You  do  not  feel  down  there  that,  while  you  accept  the  result, 
we  are  as  generous  as  we  ought  to  be  under  the  circumstances  ? 

A.  They  think  that  the  North  can  afford  to  be  generous. 

Q.  That  is  the  feeling  down  there  ? 

A.  Yes ;  and  they  think  it  is  the  best  policy ;  those  who  reflect 
upon  the  subject  and  are  able  to  judge  ? 

Q.  I  understand  it  to  be  your  opinion  that  generosity  and  liberal 
ity  toward  the  entire  South  would  be  the  surest  means  of  regaining 
their  good  opinion  ? 

A.  Yes,  and  the  speediest. 

Q.  (By  Mr.  Howard.)  I  understand  you  to  say  generally  that  you 
had  no  apprehension  of  any  combination  among  the  leading  seces 
sionists  to  renew  the  war,  or  any  thing  of  the  kind  ? 

A.  I  have  no  reason  in  the  world  to  think  so. 

Q.  Have  you  heard  that  subject  talked  over  among  any  of  the  poli 
ticians  ? 

A.  No,  sir ;  I  have  not ;  I  have  not  heard  that  matter  even  sug 
gested. 

Q.  Let  me  put  another  hypothetical  state  of  things.  Suppose  the 
executive  government  of  the  United  States  should  be  held  by  a  Presi 
dent  who,  like  Mr.  Buchanan,  rejected  the  right  of  coercion,  so  called, 
and  suppose  a  Congress  should  exist  here  entertaining  the  same  politi 
cal  opinions,  thus  presenting  to  the  once  rebel  States  the  opportunity 
to  again  secede  from  the  Union,  would  they,  or  not,  in  your  opinion, 
avail  themselves  of  that  opportunity,  or  some  of  them  ? 

A.  I  suppose  it  would  depend  T  pon  the  circumstances  existing  at 
the  time ;  if  their  feelings  should  remain  embittered,  and  their  affec- 


GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  WAR. 

tions  alienated  from  the  rest  of  the  States,  I  think  it  very  probable 
they  might  do  so,  provided  they  thought  it  was  to  their  interests. 

Q.  Do  you  not  think  that  at  the  present  time  there  is  a  deep-seated 
feeling  of  dislike  toward  the  Government  of  the  United  States  on  the 
part  of  the  secessionists  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  there  is  any  deep-seated  dislike  ;  I  think  it 
is  probable  there  may  be  some  animosity  still  existing  among  the  peo 
ple  of  the  South. 

Q.  Is  there  not  a  deep-seated  feeling  of  disappointment  and  cha 
grin  at  the  result  of  the  war  ? 

A.  I  think  that  at  the  time  they  were  disappointed  at  the  result  of 
the  war. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  be  understood  as  saying  that  there  is  not  a 
condition  of  discontent  against  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
among  the  secessionists  generally  ? 

A.  I  know  none. 

Q.  Are  you  prepared  to  say  that  they  respect  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  loyal  people  of  the  United  States,  so  much 
at  the  present  time  as  to  perform  their  duties  as  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  and  of  the  States,  faithfully  and  well  ? 

A.  I  believe  that  they  will  perform  all  the  duties  that  they  are  re 
quired  to  perform ;  I  think  that  is  the  general  feeling  so  far  as  I  know. 

Q.  Do  you  think  it  would  be  practicable  to  convict  a  man  in  Vir 
ginia  of  treason  for  having  taken  part  in  this  rebellion  against  the 
Government  by  a  Virginian  jury  without  packing  it  with  direct  refer 
ence  to  a  verdict  of  guilty  ? 

A.  On  that  point  I  have  no  knowledge,  and  I  do  not  know  what 
they  would  consider  treason  against  the  United  States — if  you  refer  to 
past  acts. 

Mr.  Howard :  Yes,  sir. 

Witness  :  I  have  no  knowledge  what  their  views  on  that  subject  in 
the  past  are. 

Q.  You  understand  my  question.  Suppose  a  jury  was  impanelled 
in  your  own  neighborhood,  taken  by  lot,  would  it  be  possible  to  con 
vict,  for  instance,  Jefferson  Davis,  for  having  levied  war  upon  the  Uni 
ted  States,  and  thus  having  committed  the  crime  of  treason  ? 


i82  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

A.  I  think  it  is  very  probable  that  they  would  not  consider  he  had 
committed  treason. 

THEIR  VIEWS  OP  TREASON. 

Q.  Suppose  the  jury  should  be  clearly  and  plainly  instructed  by 
the  Court  that  such  an  act  of  war  upon  the  part  of  Mr.  Davis  or  any 
other  leading  man  constituted  the  crime  of  treason  under  the  Consti 
tution  of  the  United  States,  would  the  jury  be  likely  to  heed  that  in 
struction,  and,  if  the  facts  were  plainly  in  proof  before  them,  convict 
the  offender  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know,  sir,  what  they  would  do  on  that  question. 

Q.  They  do  not  generally  suppose  that  it  was  treason  against  the 
United  States,  do  they  ? 

A.  I  do  not  think  that  they  so  consider  it. 

Q.  In  what  light  would  they  view  it  ?  What  would  be  their  ex 
cuse  or  justification  ?  How  would  they  escape,  in  their  own  mind  ? 
I  refer  to  the  past — I  am  referring  to  the  past  and  the  feelings  they 
would  have  ? 

A.  So  far  as  I  know,  they  look  upon  the  action  of  the  State  in 
withdrawing  itself  from  the  Government  of  the  United  States  as  car 
rying  the  individuals  of  the  State  along  with  it ;  that  the  State  was 
responsible  for  the  act,  not  the  individuals,  and  that  the  ordinance  of 
secession,  so  called,  or  those  acts  of  the  State  which  recognized  a  con 
dition  of  war  between  the  State  and  the  General  Government  stood  as 
their  justification  for  their  bearing  arms  against  the  Government  of 
the  United  States ;  yes,  sir,  I  think  they  would  consider  the  act  of  the 
State  as  legitimate ;  that  they  were  merely  using  the  reserved  rights, 
which  they  had  a  right  to  do. 

Q.  State,  if  you  please — and  if  you  are  disinclined  to  answer  the 
question  you  need  not  do  so — what  your  own  personal  views  on  that 
question  are  ? 

A.  That  was  my  view ;  that  the  act  of  Virginia  in  withdrawing 
herself  from  the  United  States  carried  me  along  as  a  citizen  of  Vir 
ginia,  and  that  her  laws  and  her  acts  were  binding  on  me. 

Q.  And  that  you  felt  to  be  your  justification  in  taking  the  course 
you  did  ? 


GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  WAR.          483 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  I  have  been  told,  general,  that  you  have  remarked  to  some  of 
your  friends,  in  conversation,  that  you  were  rather  wheedled  or  cheated 
into  that  course  by  politicians  ? 

A.  I  do  not  recollect  ever  making  any  such  remark ;  I  do  not  think 
I  ever  made  it. 

Q.  If  there  be  any  other  matter  about  which  you  wish  to  speak  on 
this  occasion,  do  so,  freely. 

A.  Only  in  reference  to  that  last  question  you  put  to  me.  I  may 
have  said  and  may  have  believed  that  the  positions  of  the  two  sections 
which  they  held  to  each  other  was  brought  about  by  the  politicians 
of  the  country ;  that  the  great  masses  of  the  people,  if  they  under 
stood  the  real  question,  would  have  avoided  it ;  but  not  that  I  had 
been  individually  wheedled  by  the  politicians. 

Q.  That  is  probably  the  origin  of  the  whole  thing. 

A.  I  may  have  said  that,  but  I  do  not  even  recollect  that ;  but  I 
did  believe  at  the  time  that  it  was  an  unnecessary  condition  of  affairs, 
and  might  have  been  avoided  if  forbearance  and  wisdom  had  been 
practised  on  both  sides. 

Q.  You  say  that  you  do  not  recollect  having  sworn  allegiance  and 
fidelity  to  the  Confederate  Government  ? 

A.  I  do  not  recollect  it,  nor  do  I  know  it  was  ever  required.  I  was 
regularly  commissioned  in  the  army  of  the  Confederate  States,  but  I 
do  not  really  recollect  that  that  oath  was  required.  If  it  was  required, 
I  have  no  doubt  I  took  it;  or,  if  it  had  been  required,  I  would  have 
taken  it. 

Q.  Is  there  any  other  matter  which  you  desire  to  state  to  the  com 
mittee  ? 

A.  No,  sir ;  I  am  ready  to  answer  any  question  which  you  think 
proper  to  put  to  me. 

NEGRO  CITIZENSHIP. 

Q.  How  would  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  be  received  by 
the  secessionists,  or  by  the  people  at  large,  allowing  the  colored  people, 
or  certain  classes  of  them,  to  exercise  the  right  of  voting  at  elections  ? 


£84:  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DATS. 

A.  I  think,  so  far  as  I  can  form  an  opinion,  in  such  an  event  they 
would  object. 

Q.  They  would  object  to  such  an  amendment  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Suppose  an  amendment  should  nevertheless  be  adopted,  confer 
ring  on  the  blacks  the  right  of  suffrage,  would  that,  in  your  opinion, 
lead  to  scenes  of  violence  or  breaches  of  the  peace  between  the  two 
races  in  Virginia  ? 

A.  I  think  it  would  excite  unfriendly  feelings  between  the  two 
races ;  I  cannot  pretend  to  say  to  what  extent  it  would  go,  but  that 
would  be  the  result. 

Q.  Are  you  acquainted  with  the  proposed  amendment  now  pending 
in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  ? 

A.  No,  sir,  I  am  not ;  I  scarcely  ever  read  a  paper.  [The  substance 
of  the  proposed  amendment  was  here  explained  to  the  witness  by  Mr. 
Conkling.]  So  far  as  I  can  see,  I  do  not  think  that  the  State  of  Vir 
ginia  would  object  to  it. 

Q.  Would  she  consent,  under  any  circumstances,  to  allow  the  black 
people  to  vote,  even  if  she  were  to  gain  a  large  number  of  representa 
tives  in  Congress  ? 

A.  That  would  depend  upon  her  interests ;  if  she  had  the  right  of 
determining  that,  I  do  not  see  why  she  would  object ;  if  it  were  to  her 
interest  to  admit  these  people  to  vote,  that  might  overrule  any  other 
objection  that  she  had  to  it. 

Q.  What,  in  your  opinion,  would  be  the  practical  result  ?  Do  you 
think  that  Virginia  would  consent  to  allow  the  negro  to  vote  ? 

A.  I  think  that  at  present  she  would  accept  the  smaller  representa 
tion  ;  I  do  not  know  what  the  future  may  develop ;  if  it  should  be 
plain  to  her  that  these  persons  will  vote  properly  and  understandingly, 
she  might  admit  them  to  vote. 

Q.  (By  Mr.  Blow.)  Do  you  not  think  it  would  turn  a  good  deal,  ic 
the  cotton  States,  upon  the  value  of  the  labor  of  the  black  people  5 
Upon  the  amount  which  they  produce  ? 

A.  In  a  good  many  States  in  the  South,  and  in  a  good  many  coun 
ties  in  Virginia,  if  the  black  people  were  allowed  to  vote,  it  would,  I 
think,  exclude  proper  representation — that  is,  proper,  intelligent  peo- 


GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  WAR.          £85 

pie  would  not  be  elected,  and,  rather  than  suffer  that  injury,  they  would 
not  let  them  vote  at  all. 

Q.  Do  you  not  think  that  the  question  as  to  whether  any  Southern 
State  would  allow  the  colored  people  the  right  of  suffrage  in  order  to 
increase  representation  would  depend  a  good  deal  on  the  amount 
which  the  colored  people  might  contribute  to  the  wealth  of  the  State, 
in  order  to  secure  two  things — first,  the  larger  representation,  and, 
second,  the  influence  desired  from  those  persons  voting  ? 

A.  I  think  they  would  determine  the  question  more  in  reference  to 
their  opinion  as  to  the  manner  in  which  those  votes  would  be  exercised, 
whether  they  consider  those  people  qualified  to  vote ;  my  own  opinion 
is,  that  at  this  time  they  cannot  vote  intelligently,  and  that  giving 
them  the  right  of  suffrage  would  open  the  door  to  a  good  deal  .of 
demagogism,  and  lead  to  embarrassments  in  various  ways ;  what  the 
future  may  prove,  how  intelligent  they  may  become,  with  what  eyes 
they  may  look  upon  the  interests  of  the  State  in  which  they  may  re 
side,  I  cannot  say  more  than  you  can. 

The  above  extract  presents  the  main  portion  of  General 
Lee's  testimony,  and  is  certainly  an  admirable  exposition  of 
the  clear  good  sense  and  frankness  of  the  individual.  Once 
or  twice  there  is  obviously  an  under-current  of  dry  satire,  as 
in  his  replies  upon  the  subject  of  the  Confederate  bonds. 
When  asked  whether  he  remembered  at  what  time  these 
bonds  were  made  payable,  he  replied  that  his  "general 
recollection  was,  that  they  were  made  payable  six  months 
after  a  declaration  of  peace."  The  correction  was  at  once 
made  by  his  interrogator  in  the  words  "  six  months  affcei 
the  ratification  of  a  treaty  of  peace"  etc.  "I  think  thej 
ran,  that  way,"  replied  General  Lee.  "  So  that,"  retorted 
his  interrogator,  "  the  bonds  are  not  yet  due  by  their  terms  ? " 
General  Lee's  reply  was,  "  I  suppose,  unless  it  is  considered 
that  there  is  a  peace  now,  they  are  not  due" 


iS6  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

This  seems  to  have  put  an  abrupt  termination  to  the 
examination  on  that  point.  To  the  question  whether  he 
had  taken  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Confederate  Govern 
ment,  he  replied :  "  I  do  not  recollect  having  done  so,  but 
it  is  possible  that  when  I  was  commissioned  I  did  ;  I  do  not 
recollect  whether  it  was  required  ;  if  it  was  required,  I  took 
it,  or  if  it  had  been  required,  I  would  have  taken  it." 

If  this  reply  of  General  Lee  be  attentively  weighed  by 
the  reader,  some  conception  may  be  formed  of  the  bitter 
pang  which  he  must  have  experienced  in  sending  in,  as  he 
did,  to  the  Federal  Government,  his  application  for  pardon. 
The  fact  cannot  be  concealed  that  this  proceeding  on  the 
part  of  General  Lee  was  a  subject  of  deep  regret  to  the 
Southern  people;  but  there  can.be  no  question  that  his 
motive  was  disinterested  and  noble,  and  that  he  presented, 
in  so  doing,  the  most  remarkable  evidence  of  the  true  great 
ness  of  his  character.  He  had  no  personal  advantage  to 
expect  from  a  pardon  ;  cared  absolutely  nothing  whether  he 
were  "  pardoned "  or  not ;  and  to  one  so  proud,  and  so 
thoroughly  convinced  of  the  justice  of  the  cause  in  which  he 
had  fought,  to  appear  as  a  supplicant  must  have  been  inex 
pressibly  painful.  He,  nevertheless,  took  this  mortifying 
step — actuated  entirely  by  that  sense  of  duty  which  re 
mained  with  him  to  the  last,  overmastering  every  other  sen 
timent  of  his  nature.  He  seems  in  this,  as  in  many  other 
things,  to  have  felt  the  immense  import  of  his  example.  The 
old  soldiers  of  his  army,  and  thousands  of  civilians,  were 
obliged  to  apply  for  amnesty,  or  remain  under  civic  disa 
bility.  Brave  men,  with  families  depending  upon  them, 
had  been  driven  to  this  painful  course,  and  General  Lee 
seems  to  have  felt  that  duty  to  his  old  comrades  demanded 


GENERAL  LEE'S  LAST  YEARS  AND  DEATH.      487 

that  lie,  too,  should  swallow  this  bitter  draught,  and  share 
their  humiliation  as  he  had  shared  their  dangers  and  their 
glory.  If  this  be  not  the  explanation  of  the  motives  con 
trolling  General  Lee's  action,  the  writer  is  unable  to  ac 
count  for  the  course  which  he  pursued.  That  it  is  the  sole 
explanation,  the  writer  no  more  doubts  than  he  doubts  the 
fact  of  his  own  existence. 


XIX. 

GENERAL  LEE'S  LAST  YEARS  AND  DEATH. 

FOR  about  five  years — from  the  latter  part  of  1865  nearly 
to  the  end  of  1870 — General  Lee  continued  to  concentrate 
his  entire  attention  and  all  his  energies  upon  his  duties  as 
President  of  Washington  College,  to  which  his  great  name, 
and  the  desire  of  Southern  parents  to  have  their  sons  edu 
cated  under  a  guide  so  illustrious,  attracted,  as  we  have  said, 
more  than  five  hundred  students.  The  sedentary  nature  of 
these  occupations  was  a  painful  trial  to  one  so  long  accus 
tomed  to  lead  a  life  .of  activity  ;  but  it  was  not  in  the  char 
acter  of  the  individual  to  allow  personal  considerations  to 
interfere  with  the  performance  of  his  duty ;  and  the  laborious 
supervision  of  the  education  of  this  large  number  of  young 
gentlemen  continued,  day  after  day,  and  year  after  year,  to 
occupy  his  mind  and  his  time,  to  the  exclusion,  wellnigh, 
of  every  other  thought.  His  personal  popularity  with  the 
students  was  very  great,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  add  that 
their  respect  for  him  was  unbounded.  By  the  citizens  of 
Lexington,  and  especially  the  graver  and  more  pious  portion, 


488  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

he  was  regarded  with  a  love  and  admiration  greater  than 
any  felt  for  him  during  the  progress  of  his  military  ca 
reer. 

This  was  attributable,  doubtless,  to  the  franker  and  clear 
er  exhibition  by  General  Lee,  in  his  latter  years,  of  that  ex 
traordinary  gentleness  and  sweetness,  culminating  in  de 
voted  Christian  piety,  which — concealed  from  all  eyes,  in 
some  degree,  during  the  war — now  plainly  revealed  them 
selves,  and  were  evidently  the  broad  foundation  and  control 
ling  influences  of  his  whole  life  and  character.  To  speak  first 
of  his  gentleness  and  moderation  in  all  his  views  and  utter 
ances.  Of  these  eminent  virtues — eminent  and  striking, 
above  all,  in  a  defeated  soldier  with  so  much  to  embitter 
him — General  Lee  presented  a  very  remarkable  illustration. 
The  result  of  the  war  seemed  to  have  left  his  great  soul 
calm,  resigned,  and  untroubled  by  the  least  rancor.  While 
others,  not  more  devoted  to  the  South,  permitted  passion  and 
sectional  animosity  to  master  them,  and  dictate  acts  and 
expressions  fall  of  bitterness  toward  the  North,  General  Lee 
refrained  systematically  from  every  thing  of  that  description ; 
and  by  simple  force  of  greatness,  one  would  have  said,  rose 
above  all  prejudices  and  hatreds  of  the  hour,  counselling,  and 
giving  in  his  own  person  to  all  who  approached  him  the 
example  of  moderation  and  Christian  charity.  He  aimed  to 
keep  alive  the  old  Southern  traditions  of  honor  and  virtue ; 
but  not  that  sectional  hatred  which  could  produce  only  evil. 
To  a  lady  who  had  lost  her  husband  in  the  war,  and,  on 
bringing  her  two  sons  to  the  college,  indulged  in  expres 
sions  of  great  bitterness  toward  the  North,  General  Lee  said, 
gently  :  "  Madam,  do  not  train  up  your  children  in  hostility 
to  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  Eemember  that 


GENERAL  LEE'S  LAST  YEARS  AND  DEATH. 

we  are  one  country  now.     Dismiss  from  your  inind  all  sec 
tional  feeling,  and  bring  them  up  to  be  Americans." 

A  still  more  suggestive  exhibition  of  his  freedom  from 
rancor  was  presented  in  an  interview  which  is  thus  de 
scribed  : 

"  One  day  last  autumn  the  writer  saw  General  Lee  standing  at  his 
gate,  talking  pleasantly  to  an  humbly-clad  man,  who  seemed  very  much 
pleased  at  the  cordial  courtesy  of  the  great  chieftain,  and  turned  off, 
evidently  delighted,  as  we  came  up.  After  exchanging  salutations, 
the  general  said,  pointing  to  the  retreating  form,  '  That  is  one  of  our 
old  soldiers,  who  is  in  necessitous  circumstances.'  I  took  it  for  grant 
ed  that  it  was  some  veteran  Confederate,  when  the  noble-hearted  chief 
tain  quietly  added,  'He  fought  on  the  other  side,  but  we  must  not 
think  of  that.'  I  afterward  ascertained — not  from  General  Lee,  for  he 
never  alluded  to  his  charities — that  he  had  not  only  spoken  kindly  to 
this  '  old  soldier '  who  had  '  fought  on  the  other  side,'  but  had  sent 
him  on  his  way  rejoicing  in  a  liberal  contribution  to  his  necessities." 

Of  the  extent  of  this  Christian  moderation  another  proof 
was  given  by  the  soldier,  at  a  moment  when  he  might  not 
unreasonably  have  been  supposed  to  labor  under  emotions 
of  the  extremest  bitterness.  Soon  after  his  return  to  Rich 
mond,  in  April,  1865,  when  the  immedicdbile  vulnus  of 
surrender  was  still  open  and  bleeding,  a  gentleman  was  re 
quested  by  the  Federal  commander  in  the  city  to  communi 
cate  to  General  Lee  the  fact  that  he  was  about  to  be  in 
dicted  in  the  United  States  courts  for  treason.*  In  acquit 
ting  himself  of  his  commission,  the  gentleman  expressed 
sentiments  of  violent  indignation  at  such  a  proceeding. 
But  these  feelings  General  Lee  did  not  seem  to  share.  The 

*  This  was  afterward  done  by  one  of  the  Federal  judges,  but  resulted  in 
nothing. 

33 


4:90  LEE'S   LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND   LAST  DAYS. 

threat  of  arraigning  him  as  a  traitor  produced  no  other 
effect  upon  him  than  to  bring  a  smile  to  his  lips ;  and,  tak 
ing  the  hand  of  his  friend,  as  the  latter  rose  to  go,  he  said, 
in  his  mildest  tones:  "We  must  forgive  our  enemies.  I 
can  truly  say  that  not  a  day  has  passed  since  the  war  began 
that  I  have  not  prayed  for  them." 

The  incidents  here  related  define  the  views  and  feelings 
of  General  Lee  as  accurately  as  they  could  be  set  forth  in  a 
whole  volume.  The  defeated  commander,  who  could  open 
his  poor  purse  to  "  one  of  our  old  soldiers  who  fought  on 
the  other  side"  and  pray  daily  during  the  bitterest  of  con 
flicts  for  his  enemies,  must  surely  have  trained  his  spirit  to 
the  perfection  of  Christian  charity. 

Of  the  strength  and  controlling  character  of  General 
Lee's  religious  convictions  we  have  more  than  once  spoken 
in  preceding  pages  of  this  volume.  These  now  seemed  to 
exert  a  more  marked  influence  over  his  life,  and  indeed  to 
shape  every  action  and  utterance  of  the  man.  During  the 
war  he  had  exhibited  much  greater  reserve  upon  this  the 
most  important  of  all  subjects  which  can  engage  the  atten 
tion  of  a  human  being  ;  and,  although  he  had  been  from  an 
early  period,  we  believe,  a  communicant  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  he  seldom  discussed  religious  questions, 
or  spoke  of  his  own  feelings,  presenting  in  this  a  marked 
contrast,  as  we  have  said,  to  his  illustrious  associate  General 
Jackson. 

Even  during  the  war,  however,  as  the  reader  has  seen  in 
our  notices  of  his  character  at  the  end  of  1863,  General 
Lee's  piety  revealed  itself  in  conversations  with  his  chap 
lains  and  other  good  men  ;  and  was  not  concealed  from  the 
troops,  as  on  the  occasion  of  the  prayer-meeting  in  the  midst 


GENERAL  LEE'S  LAST  YEARS  AND  DEATH.      4.91 

of  the  fighting  at  Mine  Run.  On  another  occasion,  when 
reviewing  his  army  near  Winchester,  he  was  seen  to  raise 
his  hat  to  a  chaplain  with  the  words,  "  I  salute  the  Church 
of  God ; "  and  again,  near  Petersburg,  was  observed  kneel 
ing  in  prayer,  a  short  distance  from  the  road,  as  his  troops 
marched  by.  Still  another  incident  of  the  period — that  of 
the  war — will  be  recorded  here  in  the  words  of  the  Rev.  J. 
William  Jones,  who  relates  it : 

"  Not  long  before  the  evacuation  of  Petersburg,  the  writer  was 
one  day  distributing  tracts  along  the  trenches,  when  he  perceived  a 
brilliant  cavalcade  approaching.  General  Lee — accompanied  by  Gen 
eral  John  B.  Gordon,  General  A.  P.  Hill,  and  other  general  officers, 
with  their  staffs — was  inspecting  our  lines  and  reconnoitring  those  of 
the  enemy.  The  keen  eye  of  Gordon  recognized,  and  his  cordial  grasp 
detained,  the  humble  tract-distributor,  as  he  warmly  inquired  about 
his  work.  General  Lee  at  once  reined  in  his  horse  and  joined  in  the 
conversation,  the  rest  of  the  party  gathered  around,  and  the  humble 
colporteur  thus  became  the  centre  of  a  group  of  whose  notice  the  high 
est  princes  of  earth  might  well  be  proud.  General  Lee  asked  if  we 
ever  had  calls  for  prayer-books,  and  said  that  if  we  would  call  at  his 
headquarters  he  would  give  us  some  for  distribution — 'that  some 
friend  in  Richmond  had  given  him  a  new  prayer-book,  and,  upon  his 
saying  that  he  would  give  his  old  one,  that  he  had  used  ever  since  the 
Mexican  War,  to  some  soldier,  the  friend  had  offered  him  a  dozen  new 
books  for  the  old  one,  and  he  had,  of  course,  accepted  so  good  an  offer, 
and  now  had  twelve  instead  of  one  to  give  away.'  "We  called  at  the 
appointed  hour.  The  general  had  gone  out  on  some  important  mat 
ter,  but  (even  amid  his  pressing  duties)  had  left  the  prayer-books  with 
a  member  of  his  staff,  with  instructions  concerning  them.  He  had  writ 
ten  on  the  fly-leaf  of  each,  « Presented  by  E.  E.  Lee,'  and  we  are  sure 
that  those  of  the  gallant  men  to  whom  they  were  given  who  survive 
the  war  will  now  cherish  them  as  precious  legacies,  and  hand  them 
down  as  heirlooms  in  their  families." 


£92  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

These  incidents  unmistakably  indicate  that  General  Lee 
concealed,  nnder  the  natural  reserve  of  his  character,  an  ear 
nest  religious  belief  and  trust  in  God  and  our  Saviour.  Nor 
was  this  a  new  sentiment  with  him.  After  his  death  a  well- 
worn  pocket  Bible  was  found  in  his  chamber,  in  which  was 
written,  "  K.  E.  Lee,  Lieutenant- Colonel,  IT.  S.  Army."  It 
was  plain,  from  this,  that,  even  during  the  days  of  his  earlier 
manhood,  in  Mexico  and  on  the  Western  prairies,  he  had 
read  his  Bible,  and  striven  to  conform  his  life  to  its  teach 
ings. 

With  the  retirement  of  the  great  soldier,  however,  from 
the  cares  of  command  which  necessarily  interfered  in  a  large 
degree  with  pious  exercises  and  meditations,  the  religious 
phase  of  his  character  became  more  clearly  defined,  assum 
ing  far  more  prominent  and  striking  proportions.  The  suf 
ferings  of  the  Southern  people  doubtless  had  a  powerful  effect 
upon  him,  and,  feeling  the  powerlessness  of  man,  he  must 
have  turned  to  God  for  comfort.  But  this  inquiry  is  too 
profound  for  the  present  writer.  He  shrinks  from  the  at 
tempt  to  sound  the  depths  of  this  truly  great  soul,  with  the 
view  of  discovering  the  influences  which  moulded  it  into  an 
almost  ideal  perfection.  General  Lee  was,  fortunately  for 
the  world,  surrounded  in  his  latter  days  by  good  and  intelli 
gent  men,  fully  competent  to  present  a  complete  exposition 
of  his  views  and  feelings — and  to  these  the  arduous  under 
taking  is  left.  Our  easier  task  is  to  place  upon  record  such 
incidents  as  we  have  gathered,  bearing  upon  the  religious 
phase  of  the  illustrious  soldier's  character. 

His  earnest  piety  cannot  be  better  displayed  than  in 
the  anxiety  which  he  felt  for  the  conversion  of  his  students. 
Conversing  with  the  Eev.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick,  of  the  Presby- 


GENERAL  LEE'S  LAST  YEARS  AND  DEATH.      493 

terian  Church,  on  the  subject  of  the  religious  welfare  of 
those  intrusted  to  his  charge,  "  he  was  so  overcome  by  emo 
tion,"  says  Dr.  Kirkpatrick,  "  that  he  could  not  utter  the 
words  which  were  on  his  tongue."  His  utterance  was 
choked,  but  recovering  himself,  with  his  eyes  overflowing 
with  tears,  his  lips  quivering  with  emotion,  and  both  hands 
raised,  he  exclaimed :  "  Oh !  doctor,  if  I  could  only  know 
that  all  the  young  men  in  the  college  were  good  Christians, 
I  should  have  nothing  more  to  desire." 

"When  another  minister,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jones,  delivered 
an  earnest  address  at  the  "  Concert  of  Prayer  for  Colleges," 
urging  that  all  Christians  should  pray  for  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  changing  the  hearts  of  the  students,  General 
Lee,  after  the  meeting,  approached  the  minister  and  said 
with  great  warmth :  "I  wish,  sir,  to  thank  you  for  your  ad 
dress.  It  was  just  what  we  needed.  Our  great  want  is  a 
revival,  which  shall  bring  these  young  men  to  Christ." 

One  morning,  while  the  venerable  Dr.  White  was  pass 
ing  General  Lee's  house,  on  his  way  to  chapel,  the  general 
joined  him,  and  they  entered  into  conversation  upon  religious 
subjects.  General  Lee  said  little,  but,  just  as  they  reached 
the  college,  stopped  and  remarked  with  great  earnestness, 
his  eyes  filling  with  tears  as  he  spoke :  "  I  shall  be  disap 
pointed,  sir,  I  shall  fail  in  the  leading  object  that  brought 
me  here,  unless  the  young  men  all  become  real  Christians ; 
and  I  wish  you  and  others  of  your  sacred  profession  to  do 
all  you  can  to  accomplish  this  result." 

When  a  great  revival  of  religious  feeling  took  place  at 
the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  in  1868,  General  Lee  said 
to  the  clergyman  of  his  church  with  deep  feeling :  "  That  is 
the  best  news  I  have  heard  since  I  have  been  in  Lexington. 


£94:  LEE'S  I/AST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

"Would  that  we  could  have  such  a  revival  in  all  our  col 
leges!" 

Although  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
and  preferring  that  communion,  General  Lee  seems  to  have 
been  completely  exempt  from  sectarian  feeling,  and  to  have 
aimed  first  and  last  to  be  a  true  Christian,  loving  God  and 
his  neighbor,  and  not  busying  himself  about  theological  dog 
mas.  When  he  was  asked  once  whether  he  believed  in  the 
Apostolic  succession,  he  replied  that  he  had  never  thought 
of  it,  and  aimed  only  to  become  a  "real  Christian."  His 
catholic  views  were  shown  by  the  letters  of  invitation,  which 
he  addressed,  at  the  commencement  of  each  session  of  the 
college,  to  ministers  of  all  religious  denominations  at  Lex 
ington,  to  conduct,  in  turn,  the  religious  exercises  at  the 
college  chapel ;  and  his  charities,  which  were  large  for  a  per 
son  of  his  limited  means,  were  given  to  all  alike.  These 
charities  he  seems  to  have  regarded  as  a  binding  duty,  and 
were  so  private  that  only  those  receiving  them  knew  any 
thing  of  them.  It  only  came  to  be  known  accidentally  that 
in  1870  he  gave  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  education  of  the 
orphans  of  Southern  soldiers,  one  hundred  dollars  to  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and  regularly  made 
other  donations,  amounting  in  all  to  considerable  sums. 
Nearly  his  last  act  was  a  liberal  contribution  to  an  important 
object  connected  with  his  church. 

We  shall  conclude  these  anecdotes,  illustrating  General 
Lee's  religious  character,  with  one  for  which  we  are  indebt 
ed  to  the  kindness  of  a  reverend  clergyman,  of  Lexington, 
who  knew  General  Lee  intimately  in  his  latter  years,  and 
enjoyed  his  confidence.  The  incident  will  present  in  an 
agreeable  light  the  great  soldier's  simplicity  and  love  for 


GENERAL  LEE'S  LAST  YEARS  AND  DEATH.     495 

children,  and  no  less  his  catholic  feelings  in  reference  to 
sects  in  the  Christian  Church : 

"I  will  give  you  just  another  incident,"  writes  the  reverend  gentle 
man,  "illustrating  General  Lee's  love  for  children,  and  their  freedom  with 
him.  When  I  first  came  to  Lexington,  my  boy  Carter  (just  four  years 
old  then)  used  to  go  with  me  to  chapel  service  when  it  was  my  turn  to 
officiate.  The  general  would  tell  him  that  he  must  always  sit  by  him ; 
and  it  was  a  scene  for  a  painter,  to  see  the  great  chieftain  reverentially 
listening  to  the  truths  of  God's  word,  and  the  little  boy  nestling  close 
to  him.  One  Sunday  our  Sunday-school  superintendent  told  the  chil 
dren  that  they  must  bring  in  some  new  scholars,  and  that  they  must 
bring  old  people  as  well  as  the  young,  since  none  were  too  old  or  too 
wise  to  learn  God's  word.  The  next  Sabbath  Carter  was  with  me  at 
the  chapel,  from  which  he  was  to  go  with  me  to  the  Sunday-school. 
At  the  close  of  the  service,  I  noticed  that  Carter  was  talking  very  ear 
nestly  with  General  Lee,  who  seemed  very  much  amused,  and,  on  calling 
him  to  come  with  me,  he  said,  with  childish  simplicity :  *  Father,  I  am 
trying  to  get  General  Lee  to  go  to  the  Sunday-school  and  ~be  my  scholar? 
'But,'  said  I,  'if  the  general  goes  to  any  school,  he  will  go  to  his  own.' 
'  Which  is  his  own,  father  ? '  '  The  Episcopal,'  I  replied.  Heaving  a 
deep  sigh,  and  with  a  look  of  disappointment,  the  little  fellow  said : 
4 1  am  very  sorry  he  is  'Piscopal.  I  wish  he  was  a  Baptist,  so  he  could 
go  to  our  Sunday-school,  and  be  my  scholar.'  The  general  seemed  very 
much  amused  and  interested  as  he  replied,  *  Ah !  Carter,  we  must  all 
try  and  be  good  Christians — that  is  the  most  important  thing.'  *  He 
knew  all  the  children  in  town,'  adds  Mr.  Jones,  *  and  their  grief  at 
his  death  was  very  touching.'  " 

This  incident  may  appear  singular  to  those  who  have 
been  accustomed  to  regard  General  Lee  as  a  cold,  reserved, 
and  even  stern  human  being — a  statue,  beneath  whose  chill 
surface  no  heart  ever  throbbed.  But,  instead  of  a  marble 
heart,  there  lay,  under  the  gray  uniform  of  the  soldier,  one 
of  warm  flesh  and  blood — tender,  impressible,  susceptible 


£96  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

to  the  quick  touches  of  all  gentle  and  sweet  emotion,  and 
filling,  as  it  were,  with  quiet  happiness,  at  the  sight  of  chil 
dren  and  the  sound  of  their  voices.  This  impressibility  has 
even  been  made  the  subject  of  criticism.  A  foreign  writer 
declares  that  the  soldier's  character  exhibited  a  "  feminine  " 
softness,  unfitting  him  for  the  conduct  of  affairs  of  moment. 
What  the  Confederacy  wanted,  intimates  the  writer  in  ques 
tion,  was  a  rough  dictator,  with  little  regard  for  nice  ques 
tions  of  law — one  to  lay  the  rough  hand  of  the  born  master 
on  the  helm,  and  force  the  crew,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest,  to  obey  his  will.  That  will  probably  remain  a  ques 
tion.  General  Lee's  will  was  strong  enough  to  break  down 
all  obstacles  but  those  erected  by  rightful  authority ;  that 
with  this  masculine  strength  he  united  an  exquisite  gentle 
ness,  is  equally  beyond  question.  A  noble  action  flushed  his 
cheek  with  an  emotion  that  the  reader  may,  if  he  will,  call 
"  feminine."  A  tale  of  suffering  brought  a  sudden  moisture 
to  his  eyes ;  and  a  loving  message  from  one  of  his  poor  old 
soldiers  was  seen  one  day  to  melt  him  to  tears. 

This  poor  and  incomplete  attempt  to  indicate  some  of 
the  less-known  traits  of  the  illustrious  commander-in-chief 
of  the  Southern  armies  will  now  be  brought  to  a  conclusion ; 
we  approach  the  sorrowful  moment  when,  surrounded  by 
his  weeping  family,*  he  tranquilly  passed  away. 

On  the  28th  of  September,  1870,  after  laborious  atten 
tion  to  his  duties  during  the  early  part  of  the  day,  General 
Lee  attended,  in  the  afternoon,  a  meeting  of  the  Vestry  of 

*  General  Lee  had  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living  ex 
cept  one  of  the  latter,  Miss  Anne  Lee,  who  died  in  North  Carolina  during  the 
war.  The  sons  were  General  G.  W.  Custis  Lee,  aide-de-camp  to  President 
Davis — subsequently  commander  of  infantry  in  the  field,  and  now  president  of 
Washington  and  Lee  College,  an  officer  of  such  ability  and  of  character  so  emi 


GENERAL  LEE'S  LAST  YEARS  AND  DEATH.      497 

Grace  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  Over  this  meet 
ing  he  presided,  and  it  was  afterward  remembered  that  his 
last  public  act  was  to  contribute  the  sum  of  fifty-five  dollars 
to  some  good  object,  the  requisite  amount  to  effect  which 
was  thus  made  up.  After  the  meeting,  General  Lee  re 
turned  to  his  home,  and,  when  tea  was  served,  took  his 
place  at  the  table  to  say  grace,  as  was  his  habit,  as  it  had 
been  in  camp  throughout  the  war.  His  lips  opened,  but  no 
sound  issued  from  them,  and  he  sank  back  in  his  chair,  from 
which  he  was  carried  to  bed. 

The  painful  intelligence  immediately  became  known 
throughout  Lexington,  and  the  utmost  grief  and  consterna 
tion  were  visible  upon  every  face.  It  was  hoped,  at  first, 
that  the  attack  would  not  prove  serious,  and  that  General 
Lee  would  soon  be  able  to  resume  his  duties.  But  this  hope 
was  soon  dissipated.  The  skilful  physicians  who  hastened 
to  his  bedside  pronounced  his  malady  congestion  of  the 
brain,  and,  from  the  appearance  of  the  patient,  who  lay  in 
a  species  of  coma,  the  attack  was  evidently  of  the  most 
alarming  character.  The  most  discouraging  phase  of  the 
case  was,  that,  physically,  General  Lee  was — if  we  may  so 
say — in  perfect  health.  His  superb  physique,  although  not 
perhaps  as  vigorous  and  robust  as  during  the  war,  exhibited 
no  indication  whatever  of  disease.  His  health  appeared 
perfect,  and  twenty  years  more  of  life  might  have  been  pre 
dicted  for  him  from  simple  reference  to  his  appearance. 

nent  that  President  Davis  regarded  him  as  a  fit  successor  of  his  illustrious 
father  hi  command  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia — General  W.  H.  F.  Lee,  a 
prominent  and  able  commander  of  cavalry,  and  Captain  Robert  E.  Lee,  an  effi 
cient  member  of  the  cavalry-staff.  These  gentlemen  bore  their  full  share  hi  the 
perils  and  hardships  of  the  war,  from  its  commencement  to  the  surrender  at 
Appomattox. 


£98  LEE'S  LAST  CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

The  malady  was  more  deeply  seated,  however,  than  any 
bodily  disease ;  the  cerebral  congestion  was  but  a  symptom 
of  the  mental  malady  which  was  killing  its  victim.  From 
the  testimony  of  the  able  physicians  who  watched  the  great 
Boldier,  day  and  night,  throughout  his  illness,  and  are  thus 
best  competent  to  speak  upon  the  subject,  there  seems  no 
doubt  that  General  Lee's  condition  was  the  result  of  mental 
depression  produced  by  the  sufferings  of  the  Southern  peo 
ple.  Every  mail,  it  is  said,  had  brought  him  the  most  pit 
eous  appeals  for  assistance,  from  old  soldiers  whose  families 
were  in  want  of  bread ;  and  the  woes  of  these  poor  people 
had  a  prostrating  effect  upon  him.  A  year  or  two  before, 
his  health  had  been  seriously  impaired  by  this  brooding  de 
pression,  and  he  had  visited  North  Carolina,  the  White  Sul 
phur  Springs,  and  other  places,  to  divert  his  mind.  In  this 
he  failed.  The  shadow  went  with  him,  and  the  result  was, 
at  last,  the  alarming  attack  from  which  he  never  rallied. 
During  the  two  weeks  of  his  illness  he  scarcely  spoke,  and 
evidently  regarded  his  condition  as  hopeless.  When  one  of 
his  physicians  said  to  him,  "  General,  you  must  make  haste 
and  get  well ;  Traveller  has  been  standing  so  long  in  his 
stable  that  he  needs  exercise,"  General  Lee  shook  his  head 
slowly,  to  indicate  that  he  would  never  again  mount  his 
favorite  horse. 

He  remained  in  this  state,  with  few  alterations  in  his 
condition,  until  Wednesday,  October  12th,  when,  about 
nine  in  the  morning,  in  the  midst  of  his  family,  the  great 
soldier  tranquilly  expired. 

Of  the  universal  grief  of  the  Southern  people  when  the 
intelligence  was  transmitted  by  telegraph  to  all  parts  of  the 
country,  it  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  speak.  The 


GENERAL  LEE'S  LAST  TEARS  AND  DEATH.      4.99 

death  of  Lee  seemed  to  make  all  hearts  stand  still ;  and  the 
tolling  of  bells,  flags  at  half-mast,  and  public  meetings  of 
citizens,  wearing  mourning,  marked,  in  every  portion  of  the 
South,  the  sense  of  a  great  public  calamity.  It  is  not  an 
exaggeration  to  say  that,  in  ten  thousand  Southern  homes, 
tears  came  to  the  eyes  not  only  of  women,  but  of  bearded 
men,  and  that  the  words,  "  Lee  is  dead  ! "  fell  like  a  funeral- 
knell  upon  every  heart. 

When  the  intelligence  reached  Richmond,  the  Legisla 
ture  passed  resolutions  expressive  of  the  general  sorrow,  and 
requesting  that  the  remains  of  General  Lee  might  be  in 
terred  in  Holywood  Cemetery — Mr.  Walker,  the  Governor, 
expressing  in  a  special  message  his  participation  in  the  grief 
of  the  people  of  Virginia  and  the  South.  The  family  of 
General  Lee,  however,  preferred  that  his  remains  should 
rest  at  the  scene  of  his  last  labors,  and  beneath  the  chapel 
of  Washington  College  they  were  accordingly  interred. 
The  ceremony  was  imposing,  and  will  long  be  remem 
bered. 

On  the  morning  of  the  13th,  the  body  was  borne  to  the 
college  chapel.  In  front  moved  a  guard  of  honor,  composed 
of  old  Confederate  soldiers ;  behind  these  came  the  clergy  ; 
then  the  hearse  ;  in  rear  of  which  was  led  the  dead  soldier's 
favorite  war-horse  "  Traveller,"  his  equipments  wreathed 
with  crape.  The  trustees  and  faculty  of  the  college,  the 
cadets  of  the  Military  Institute,  and  a  large  number  of  citi 
zens  followed — and  the  procession  moved  slowly  from  the 
northeastern  gate  of  the  president's  house  to  the  college 
chapel,  above  which,  draped  in  mourning,  and  at  half-mast, 


500  LEE'S  LAST   CAMPAIGNS  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

floated  the  flag  of  Virginia — the  only  one  displayed  during 
this  or  any  other  portion  of  the  funeral  ceremonies. 

On  the  platform  of  the  chapel  the  body  lay  in  state 
throughout  this  and  the  succeeding  day.  The  coffin  was 
covered  with  evergreens  and  flowers,  and  the  face  of  the 
dead  was  uncovered  that  all  might  look  for  the  last  time  on 
the  pale  features  of  the  illustrious  soldier.  The  body  was 
dressed  in  a  simple  suit  of  black,  and  the  appearance  of  the 
face  was  perfectly  natural.  Great  crowds  visited  the  chapel, 
passing  solemnly  in  front  of  the  coffin — the  silence  inter 
rupted  only  by  sobs. 

Throughout  the  14th  the  body  continued  to  be  in  state, 
and  to  be  visited  by  thousands.  On  the  15th  a  great  funeral 
procession  preceded  the  commission  of  it  to  its  last  resting 
place.  At  an  early  hour  the  crowd  began  to  assemble  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  college,  which  was  draped  in  mourning. 
This  great  concourse  was  composed  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  all  wearing  crape,  and  the  little  children  seemed 
as  much  penetrated  by  the  general  distress  as  the  elders. 
The  bells  of  the  churches  began  to  toll ;  and  at  ten  o'clock 
the  students  of  the  college,  and  officers  and  soldiers  of  the 
Confederate  army — numbering  together  nearly  one  thousand 
persons — formed  in  front  of  the  chapel.  Between  the  two 
bodies  stood  the  hearse,  and  the  gray  horse  of  the  soldier, 
both  draped  in  mourning. 

The  procession  then  began  to  move,  to  the  strains  of 
martial  music.  The  military  escort,  together  with  the  staff 
officers  of  General  Lee,  moved  in  front ;  the  faculty  and 
students  followed  behind  the  hearse ;  and  in  rear  came  a 
committee  of  the  Legislative  dignitaries  of  the  Common- 


GENERAL  LEE'S  LAST   YEARS  AND   DEATH.  501 

wealth,  and  a  great  multitude  of  citizens  from  all  portions 
of  the  State.  The  procession  continued  its  way  toward  the 
Institute,  where  the  cadets  made  the  military  salute  as  the 
hearse  passed  in  front  of  them,  and  the  sudden  thunder  of 
artillery  awoke  the  echoes  from  the  hills.  The  cadets  then 
joined  the  procession,  which  was  more  than  a  mile  in 
length;  and,  heralded  by  the  fire  of  artillery  every  few 
minutes,  it  moved  back  to  the  college  chapel,  where  the 
last  services  were  performed. 

General  Lee  had  requested,  it  is  said,  that  no  funeral 
oration  should  be  pronounced  above  his  remains,  and  the 
Eev.  William  K  Pendleton  simply  read  the  beautiful  burial- 
service  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  coffin,  still  covered 
with  evergreens  and  flowers,  was  then  lowered  to  its  resting- 
place  beneath  the  chapel,  amid  the  sobs  and  tears  of  the 
great  assembly ;  and  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  illustrious 
soldier  disappeared  from  the  world's  eyes. 

What  thus  disappeared  was  little.  What  remained  was 
much — the  memory  of  the  virtues  and  the  glory  of  the 
greatest  of  Yirginians. 


APPENDIX. 


WE  here  present  to  the  reader  a  more  detailed  account  of 
the  ceremonies  attending  the  burial  of  General  Lee,  and  a  selec 
tion  from  the  countless  addresses  delivered  in  various  portions 
of  the  country  when  his  death  was  announced.  To  notice  the 
honors  paid  to  his  memory  in  every  city,  town,  and  village  of 
the  South,  would  fill  a  volume,  and  be  wholly  unnecessary.  It 
is  equally  unnecessary  to  speak  of  the  great  meetings  at  Rich 
mond,  Baltimore,  and  elsewhere,  resulting  in  the  formation  of 
the  "  Lee  Memorial  Association  "  for  the  erection  of  a  monument 
to  the  dead  commander. 

The  addresses  here  presented  are  placed  on  record  rather  for 
their  biographical  interest,  than  to  do  honor  to  the  dead.  Of 
him  it  may  justly  be  said  that  he  needs  no  record  of  his  virtues 
and  his  glory.  His  illustrious  memory  is  fresh  to-day,  and  will 
be  fresh  throughout  all  coming  generations,  in  every  heart. 


I. 
THE    FUNERAL     OF    GENERAL    LEE. 

THE  morning  of  the  obsequies  of  General  Lee  broke  bright 
and  cheerful  over  the  sorrowful  town  of  Lexington.  Toward 
noon  the  sun  poured  down  with  all  the  genial  warmth  of  Indian 
summer,  and  after  mid-day  it  was  hot,  though  not  uncomfortably 
so.  The  same  solemnity  of  yesterday  reigned  supreme,  with  the 


THE  FUNERAL  OF  GENERAL  LEE.          503 

difference,  that  people  came  thronging  into  town,  making  a 
mournful  scene  of  bustle.  The  gloomy  faces,  the  comparative 
silence,  the  badges  and  emblems  of  mourning  that  everywhere 
met  the  eye,  and  the  noiseless,  strict  decorum  which  was  ob 
served,  told  how  universal  and  deep  were  the  love  and  venera 
tion  of  the  people  for  the  illustrious  dead.  Every  one  uniformly 
and  religiously  wore  the  emblematic  crape,  even  to  the  women 
and  children,  who  were  crowding  to  the  college  chapel  with 
wreaths  of  flowers  fringed  with  mourning.  All  sorrowfully  and 
religiously  paid  their  last  tributes  of  respect  and  affection  to  the 
great  dead,  and  none  there  were  who  did  not  feel  a  just  pride  in 
the  sad  offices. 

AT  THE  COLLEGE  GROUNDS. 

Immediately  in  front  of  the  chapel  the  scene  was  peculiarly 
sad.  All  around  the  buildings  were  gloomily  draped  in  mourn 
ing,  and  the  students  strolled  listlessly  over  the  grounds,  await 
ing  the  formation  of  the  funeral  procession.  Ladies  thronged 
about  the  chapel  with  tearful  eyes,  children  wept  outright,  every 
face  wore  a  saddened  expression,  while  the  solemn  tolling  of  the 
church-bells  rendered  the  scene  still  more  one  of  grandeur  and 
gloom.  The  bells  of  the  churches  joined  in  the  mournful  re 
quiem. 

THE  FUNERAL  PROCESSION. 

At  ten  o'clock  precisely,  in  accordance  with  the  programme 
agreed  upon,  the  students,  numbering  four  hundred,  formed  in 
front  and  to  the  right  of  the  chapel.  To  the  left  an  escort  of 
honor,  numbering  some  three  hundred  ex-officers  and  soldiers, 
was  formed,  at  the  head  of  which,  near  the  southwestern  en 
trance  to  the  grounds,  was  the  Institute  band.  Between  these 
two  bodies — the  soldiers  and  students — stood  the  hearse  and  the 
gray  war-steed  of  the  dead  hero,  both  draped  in  mourning.  The 
marshals  of  the  procession,  twenty-one  in  number,  wore  spotless 
white  sashes,  tied  at  the  waist  and  shoulders  with  crape,  and 
carrying  batons  also  enveloped  in  the  same  emblematic  ma 
terial. 

Shortly  after  ten,  at  a  signal  from  the  chief  marshal,  the 


504:  APPENDIX. 

solemn  cortege  moved  off  to  the  music  of  a  mournful  dirge. 
General  Bradley  Johnson  headed  the  escort  of  officers  and  sol 
diers,  with  Colonel  Charles  T.  Venable  and  Colonel  Walters  H. 
Taylor,  both  former  assistant  adjutant-generals  on  the  staff  of 
the  lamented  dead.  The  physicians  of  General  Lee  and  the 
Faculty  of  the  college  fell  in  immediately  behind  the  hearse,  the 
students  following.  Slowly  and  solemnly  the  procession  moved 
from  the  college  grounds  down  "Washington  Street  to  Jefferson, 
up  Jefferson  Street  to  Franklin  Hall,  thence  to  Main  Street, 
where  they  were  joined  by  a  committee  of  the  Legislature,  dig 
nitaries  of  the  State,  and  the  citizens  generally.  Moving  still 
onward,  this  grand  funeral  pageant,  which  had  now  assumed 
gigantic  proportions,  extending  nearly  a  mile  in  length,  soon 
reached  the  northeastern  extremity  of  the  town,  when  it  took 
the  road  to  the  Virginia  Military  Institute. 


AT  THE  MILITARY  INSTITUTE. 

Here  the  scene  was  highly  impressive  and  imposing.  In 
front  of  the  Institute  the  battalion  of  cadets,  three  hundred  in 
number,  were  drawn  up  in  line,  wearing  their  full  gray  uniform, 
with  badges  of  mourning,  and  having  on  all  their  equipments 
and  side-arms,  but  without  their  muskets.  Spectators  thronged 
the  entire  line  of  the  procession,  gazing  sadly  as  it  wended  its 
way,  and  the  sites  around  the  Institute  were  crowded.  As  the 
cortege  entered  the  Institute  grounds  a  salute  of  artillery  thun 
dered  its  arrival,  and  reverberated  it  far  across  the  distant  hills 
and  valleys  of  Virginia,  awakening  echoes  which  have  been 
hushed  since  Lee  manfully  gave  up  the  struggle  of  the  "  lost 
cause"  at  Appomattox.  Winding  along  the  indicated  route 
toward  the  grounds  of  Washington  College,  the  procession 
slowly  moved  past  the  Institute,  and  when  the  war-horse  and 
hearse  of  the  dead  chieftain  came  in  front  of  the  battalion  of 
cadets,  they  uncovered  their  heads  as  a  salute  of  reverence  and 
respect,  which  was  promptly  followed  by  the  spectators.  When 
this  was  concluded,  the  visitors  and  Faculty  of  the  Institute 
joined  the  procession,  and  the  battalion  of  cadets  filed  into  the 
line  in  order,  and  with  the  greatest  precision. 


THE  FUNERAL  OF  GENERAL  LEE.  505 

ORDER  OF  THE  PROCESSION. 

The  following  was  the  order  of  the  procession  when  it  was 
completed : 

Music. 

Escort  of  Honor,  consisting  of  Officers  and  Soldiers  of  the  Confederate  Army. 

Chaplain  and  other  Clergy. 

Hearse  and  Pall-bearers. 

General  Lee's  Horse. 

The  Attending  Physicians. 

Trustees  and  Faculty  of  Washington  College. 

Dignitaries  of  the  State  of  Virginia. 

Visitors  and  Faculty  of  the  Virginia  Military  Institute. 

Other  Representative  Bodies  and  Distinguished  Visitors. 

Alumni  of  Washington  College. 

Citizens. 

Cadets  Virginia  Military  Institute. 
Students  of  Washington  College  as  Guard  of  Honor 

AT  THE  CHAPEL. 

After  the  first  salute,  a  gun  was  fired  every  three  minutes. 
Moving  still  to  the  sound  of  martial  music,  in  honor  of  the  dead, 
the  procession  reentered  the  grounds  of  Washington  College  by 
the  northeastern  gate,  and  was  halted  in  front  of  the  chapel. 
Then  followed  an  imposing  ceremony.  The  cadets  of  the  Insti 
tute  were  detached  from  the  line,  and  marched  in  double  file  into 
the  chapel  up  one  of  the  aisles^  past  the  remains  of  the  illustrious 
dead,  which  lay  in  state  on  the  rostrum,  and  down  the  other  aisle 
out  of  the  church.  The  students  of  Washington  College  followed 
next,  passing  with  bowed  heads  before  the  mortal  remains  of  him 
they  revered  and  loved  so  much  and  well  as  their  president  and 
friend.  The  side-aisles  and  galleries  were  crowded  with  ladies, 
Emblems  of  mourning  met  the  eye  on  all  sides,  and  feminine 
affection  had  hung  funeral  garlands  of  flowers  upon  all  the  pil 
lars  and  walls.  The  central  pews  were  filled  with  the  escort  of 
honor,  composed  of  former  Confederate  soldiers  from  this  and 
adjoining  counties,  while  the  spacious  platform  was  crowded 
with  the  trustees,  faculties,  clergy,  Legislative  Committee,  and 
34 


506  APPENDIX. 

distinguished  visitors.  Within  and  without  the  consecrated  hall 
the  scene  was  alike  imposing.  The  blue  mountains  of  Virginia, 
towering  in  the  near  horizon ;  the  lovely  village  of  Lexington, 
sleeping  in  the  calm,  unruffled  air,  and  the  softened  autumn  sun 
light  ;  the  vast  assemblage,  mute  and  sorrowful ;  the  tolling 
bells,  and  pealing  cannon,  and  solemn  words  of  funeral  service, 
combined  to  render  the  scene  one  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  sons  of  General  Lee— W.  H.  F.  Lee,  G.  W.  C.  Lee,  and 
Robert  E.  Lee — with  their  sisters,  Misses  Agnes  and  Mildred 
Lee,  and  the  nephews  of  the  dead,  Fitzhugh,  Henry  C.,  and 
Robert  C.  Lee,  entered  the  church  with  bowed  heads,  and  silent 
ly  took  seats  in  front  of  the  rostrum. 

THE  FUNERAL  SERVICES  AND  INTERMENT. 

Then  followed  the  impressive  funeral  services  of  the  Epis 
copal  Church  for  the  dead,  amid  a  silence  and  solemnity  that 
were  imposing  and  sublimely  grand.  There  was  no  funeral  ora 
tion,  in  compliance  with  the  expressed  wish  of  the  distinguished 
dead ;  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  services  in  the  chapel  the 
vast  congregation  went  out  and  mingled  with  the  crowd  with 
out,  who  were  unable  to  gain  admission.  The  coffin  was  then 
carried  by  the  pall-bearers  to  the  library-room,  in  the  basement 
of  the  chapel,  where  it  was  lowered  into  the  vault  prepared 
for  its  reception.  The  funeral  services  were  concluded  in  the 
open  air  by  prayer,  and  the  singing  of  General  Lee's  favorite 
hymn,  commencing  with  the  well-known  line — 

"  How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord, 
Is  laid  for  your  faith  in  His  excellent  Word ! " 

and  thus  closed  the  funeral  obsequies  of  Robert  Edward  Lee, 
to  whom  may  be  fitly  applied  the  grand  poetic  epitaph  : 

"  Ne'er  to  the  mansions  where  the  mighty  rest, 
Since  their  foundations,  came  a  nobler  guest ; 
Nor  e'er  was  to  the  bowers  of  bliss  conveyed 
A  purer  saint  or  a  more  welcome  shade." 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  507 

II. 
TRIBUTES     TO     GENERAL    LEE. 

IN"  the  deep  emotion  with  which  the  death  of  General  Lee 
has  filled  all  classes  of  our  people — says  the  Southern  Magazine, 
from  whose  pages  this  interesting  summary  is  taken — we  have 
thought  that  a  selection  of  the  most  eloquent  or  otherwise  in 
teresting  addresses  delivered  at  the  various  memorial  meetings 
may  not  be  unacceptable. 

LOUISVILLE,  KY. 

On  October  15th  nearly  the  whole  city  was  draped  in  mourn 
ing,  and  business  was  suspended.  A  funeral  service  was  held  at 
St.  Paul's  Church.  In  the  evening  an  immense  meeting  assem 
bled  at  Weissiger  Hall,  and,  after  an  opening  address  by  Mayor 
Baxter,  the  following  resolutions  were  adopted : 

"  Resolved,  That,  in  the  death  of  Robert  E.  Lee,  the  Ameri 
can  people,  without  regard  to  States  or  sections,  or  antecedents, 
or  opinions,  lose  a  great  and  good  man,  a  distinguished  and  use 
ful  citizen,  renowned  not  less  in  arms  than  in  the  arts  of  peace  ; 
and  that  the  cause  of  public  instruction  and  popular  culture  is 
deprived  of  a  representative  whose  influence  and  example  will 
be  felt  by  the  youth  of  our  country  for  long  ages  after  the  pas 
sions  in  the  midst  of  which  he  was  engaged,  but  which  he  did 
not  share,  have  passed  into  history,  and  the  peace  and  fraternity 
of  the  American  Republic  are  cemented  and  restored  by  the 
broadest  and  purest  American  sentiment. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  forwarded  to 
the  family  of  General  Lee,  to  the  Trustees  of  Washington  Col 
lege,  and  to  the  Governor  and  General  Assembly  of  Virginia." 

ADDRESS  OF  GENERAL  BEECKIJSTIIDGE. 

" Mr.  President,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen:  In  the  humble 
part  which  it  falls  to  me  to  take  in  these  interesting  ceremonies, 
if  for  any  cause  it  has  been  supposed  that  I  am  to  deliver  a 


508  APPENDIX. 

lengthy  address,  I  am  not  responsible  for  the  origination  of  that 
supposition.  I  came  here  to-night  simply  to  mingle  my  griet 
with  yours  at  the  loss  of  one  of  our  most  distinguished  citizens, 
and,  indeed,  I  feel  more  like  silence  than  like  words.  I  am  awe- 
stricken  in  the  presence  of  this  vast  assemblage,  and  my  mind 
goes  back  to  the  past.  It  is  preoccupied  by  memories  coming 
in  prominent  review  of  the  frequent  and  ever-varying  vicissi 
tudes  which  have  characterized  the  last  ten  years.  I  find  myself 
in  the  presence  of  a  vast  assemblage  of  the  people  of  this  great 
and  growing  city,  who  meet  together,  without  distinction  of 
party,  and  presided  over  by  your  chief  officer,  for  the  purpose 
of  expressing  respect  to  the  memory  of  the  man  who  was  the 
leader  of  the  Confederate  armies  in  the  late  war  between  the 
States.  It  is  in  itself  the  omen  of  reunion.  I  am  not  surprised 
at  the  spectacle  presented  here.  Throughout  the  entire  South 
one  universal  cry  of  grief  has  broken  forth  at  the  death  of  Gen 
eral  Lee,  and  in  a  very  large  portion  of  the  North  manly  and 
noble  tributes  have  been  paid  to  his  memory. 

"  My  words  shall  be  brief  but  plain.  Why  is  it  that  at  the 
South  we  see  this  universal,  spontaneous  demonstration  ?  First, 
because  most  of  the  people  mourn  the  loss  of  a  leader  and  a 
friend,  but  beyond  that  I  must  say  they  seem  to  enter  an  uncon 
scious  protest  against  the  ascription  either  to  him  or  them  of 
treason  or  personal  dishonor.  It  may  be  an  unconscious  protest 
against  the  employment  by  a  portion  of  the  public  press  of  those 
epithets  which  have  ceased  to  be  used  in  social  intercourse.  It 
is  an  invitation  on  their  part  to  the  people  of  the  North  and 
South,  East  and  West,  if  there  be  any  remaining  rancor  in  their 
bosoms,  to  bury  it  in  the  grave  forever.  I  will  not  recall  the 
past.  I  will  not  enter  upon  any  considerations  of  the  cause  of 
that  great  struggle.  This  demonstration  we  see  around  us  gives 
the  plainest  evidence  that  there  is  no  disposition  to  indulge  in 
useless  repinings  at  the  results  of  that  great  struggle.  It  is  for 
the  pen  of  the  historian  to  declare  the  cause,  progress,  and  prob 
able  consequences  of  it.  In  regard  to  those  who  followed  Gen 
eral  Lee,  who  gloried  in  his  successes  and  shared  his  misfortunes, 
I  have  but  this  to  say :  the  world  watched  the  contest  in  which 
they  were  engaged,  and  yet  gives  testimony  to  their  gallantry, 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  509 

The  magnanimity  with  which  they  accepted  the  results  of  their 
defeat,  the  obedience  they  have  yielded  to  the  laws  of  the  Fed 
eral  Government,  give  an  exhibition  so  rare  that  they  are  enno 
bled  by  their  calm  yet  noble  submission.  For  the  rest  their 
escutcheon  is  unstained.  The  conquerors  themselves,  for  their 
own  glory,  must  confess  that  they  were  brave.  Neither,  my 
friends,  do  I  come  here  to-night  to  speak  of  the  military  career 
of  General  Lee.  I  need  not  speak  of  it  this  evening.  I  believe 
that  this  is  universally  recognized,  not  only  in  the  United  States, 
but  in  Europe  ;  it  has  made  the  circuit  of  the  world.  I  come  but 
to  utter  my  tribute  to  him  as  a  man  and  as  a  citizen.  As  a  man 
he  will  be  remembered  in  history  as  a  man  of  the  epoch.  How 
little  need  I  to  speak  of  his  character  after  listening  to  the  thril 
ling  delineation  of  it  which  we  had  this  morning !  We  all  know 
that  he  was  great,  noble,  and  self-poised.  He  was  just  and  mod 
erate,  but  was,  perhaps,  misunderstood  by  those  who  were  not 
personally  acquainted  with  him.  He  was  supposed  to  be  just, 
but  cold.  Far  from  it.  He  had  a  warm,  affectionate  heart. 
During  the  last  year  of  that  unfortunate  struggle  it  was  my  good 
fortune  to  spend  a  great  deal  of  time  with  him.  I  was  almost 
constantly  by  his  side,  and  it  was  during  the  two  months  imme 
diately  preceding  the  fall  of  Richmond  that  I  came  to  know  and 
fully  understand  the  true  nobility  of  his  character.  In  all  those 
long  vigils  he  was  considerate  and  kind,  gentle,  firm,  and  self- 
poised.  I  can  give  no  better  idea  of  the  impression  it  made 
upon  me  than  to  say  it  inspired  me  with  an  ardent  love  of  the 
man  and  a  profound  veneration  of  his  character.  It  was  so 
massive  and  noble,  so  grand  in  its  proportions,  that  all  men 
must  admire  its  heroism  and  gallantry,  yet  so  gentle  and  tender 
that  a  woman  might  adopt  and  claim  it  as  her  own.  If  the 
spirit  which  animates  the  assembly  before  me  to-night  shall  be 
come  general  and  permeate  the  whole  country,  then  may  we  say 
the  wounds  of  the  late  war  are  truly  healed.  We  ask  for  him 
only  what  we  give  to  others.  Among  the  more  eminent  of  the 
departed  Federal  generals  who  were  distinguished  for  their  gal 
lantry,  their  nobility  of  character,  and  their  patriotism,  may  be 
mentioned  Thomas  and  McPherson.  What  Confederate  is  there 
who  would  refuse  to  raise  his  cap  as  their  funeral-train  went  by 


510  APPENDIX. 

or  hesitate  to  drop  a  flower  upon  their  graves  ?  Why  ?  Be 
cause  they  were  men  of  courage,  honor,  and  nobility ;  because 
they  were  true  to  their  convictions  of  right,  and  soldiers  whose 
hands  were  unstained  by  cruelty  or  pillage. 

"  Those  of  us  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  know  him,  and 
who  have  appeared  before  this  assemblage,  composed  of  all 
shades  of  opinion,  claim  for  him  your  veneration,  because  he 
was  pure  and  noble,  and  it  is  because  of  this  that  we  see  the 
cities  and  towns  of  the  South  in  mourning.  This  has  been  the 
expression  throughout  the  whole  South,  without  distinction  of 
party,  and  also  of  a  large  portion  of  the  North.  Is  not  this  why 
these  tributes  have  been  paid  to  his  memory  ?  Is  it  not  because 
his  piety  was  humble  and  sincere  ?  Because  he  accorded  in  vic 
tory  ;  because  he  filled  his  position  with  admirable  dignity ;  be 
cause  he  taught  his  prostrate  comrades  how  to  suffer  and  be 
strong  ?  In  a  word,  because  he  was  one  of  the  noblest  products 
of  this  hemisphere,  a  fit  object  to  sit  in  the  niche  which  he 
created  in  the  Temple  of  Fame. 

"  But  he  failed.  The  result  is  in  the  future.  It  may  be  for 
better  or  for  worse.  We  hope  for  the  better.  But  this  is  not 
the  test  for  his  greatness  and  goodness.  Success  often  gilds  the 
shallow  man,  but  it  is  disaster  alone  that  reveals  the  qualities  of 
true  greatness.  Was  his  life  a  failure  ?  Is  only  that  man  suc 
cessful  who  erects  a  material  monument  of  greatness  by  the  en 
forcement  of  his  ideas  ?  Is  not  that  man  successful  also,  who, 
by  his  valor,  moderation,  and  courage,  with  all  their  associate 
virtues,  presents  to  the  world  such  a  specimen  of  true  manhood 
as  his  children  and  children's  children  will  be  proud  to  imitate  ? 
In  this  sense  he  was  not  a  failure. 

"  Pardon  me  for  having  detained  you  so  long.  I  know  there 
are  here  and  there  those  who  will  reach  out  and  attempt  to  pluck 
from  his  name  the  glory  which  surrounds  it,  and  strike  with  ma 
lignant  fury  at  the  honors  awarded  to  him  ;  yet  history  will  de 
clare  that  the  remains  which  repose  in  the  vault  beneath  the 
little  chapel  in  the  lovely  Virginia  Valley  are  not  only  those  of 
a  valorous  soldier,  but  those  of  a  great  and  good  American." 

General  John  W.  Finnell  next  addressed  the  audience  briefly, 
and  was  followed  by. 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  511 

GENERAL  WILLIAM  PRESTON. 

"Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen:  I  feel  that  it 
would  be  very  difficult  for  me  to  add  any  eulogy  to  those  which 
are  contained  in  the  resolutions  of  the  committee,  or  a  more 
merited  tribute  of  praise  than  those  which  have  already  fallen 
from  the  lips  of  the  gentlemen  who  have  preceded  me.  Yet,  on 
an  occasion  like  this,  I  am  willing  to  come  forward  and  add  a 
word  to  testify  my  appreciation  of  the  great  virtues  and  admi 
rable  character  of  one  that  commands,  not  only  our  admiration, 
but  that  of  the  entire  country.  Not  alone  of  the  entire  country, 
but  his  character  has  excited  more  admiration  in  Europe  than 
among  ourselves.  In  coming  ages  his  name  will  be  marked 
with  lustre,  and  will  be  one  of  the  richest  treasures  of  the 
future.  I  speak  of  one  just  gone  down  to  death* ;  ripe  in  all  the 
noble  attributes  of  manhood,  and  illustrious  by  deeds  the  most 
remarkable  in  character  that  have  occurred  in  the  history  of 
America  since  its  discovery.  It  is  now  some  two-and-twenty 
years  since  I  first  made  the  acquaintance  of  General  Lee.  He 
was  then  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  in  Mexico,  and  I  first  saw 
him  as  the  chief-engineer  of  General  Scott  in  the  Valley  of  Mex 
ico.  I  see  around  me  two  old  comrades  who  then  saw  General 
Lee.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  personal  beauty  and  great 
grace  of  body.  He  had  a  finished  form,  delicate  hands,  graceful 
in  person,  while  here  and  there  a  gray  hair  streaked  with  silver 
the  dark  locks  with  which  Nature  had  clothed  his  noble  brow. 
There  were  discerning  minds  that  appreciated  his  genius,  and 
saw  in  him  the  coming  Captain  of  America.  His  commander 
and  his  comrades  appreciated  his  ability.  To  a  club  which  was 
then  organized  he  belonged,  together  with  General  McClellan, 
General  Albert  Sydney  Johnston,  General  Beauregard,  and  a 
host  of  others.  They  recognized  in  Lee  a  master-spirit. 

"  He  was  never  violent ;  he  never  wrangled.  He  was  averse 
to  quarrelling,  and  not  a  single  difficulty  marked  his  career ;  but 
all  acknowledged  his  justness  and  wonderful  evenness  of  mind. 
Rare  intelligence,  combined  with  these  qualities,  served  to  make 
him  a  fit  representative  of  his  great  prototype,  General  Wash 
ington.  He  had  been  accomplished  by  every  finish  that  a  mili 
tary  education  could  bestow. 


512  APPENDIX. 

"  I  remember  when  General  Lee  was  appointed  lieutenant- 
colonel,  at  the  same  time  that  Sydney  Johnston  was  appointed 
colonel,  and  General  Scott  thought  that  Lee  should  have  been 
colonel.  I  was  talking  with  General  Scott  on  the  subject  long 
before  the  late  struggle  between  the  North  and  South  took 
place,  and  he  then  said  that  Lee  was  the  greatest  living  soldier 
in  America.  He  did  not  object  to  the  other  commission,  but  he 
thought  Lee  should  have  been  first  promoted.  Finally,  he  said 
to  me  with  emphasis,  which  you  will  pardon  me  for  relating,  'I 
tell  you  that,  if  I  were  on  my  death-bed  to-morrow,  and  the 
President  of  the  United  States  should  tell  me  that  a  great  battle 
was  to  be  fought  for  the  liberty  or  slavery  of  the  country,  and 
asked  my  judgment  as  to  the  ability  of  a  commander,  I  would 
say  with  my  dying  breath,  let  it  be  Robert  E.  Lee.'  Ah  !  great 
soldier  that  he  was,  princely  general  that  he  was,  he  has  fulfilled 
his  mission,  and  borne  it  so  that  no  invidious  tongue  can  level 
the  shafts  of  calumny  at  the  great  character  which  he  has  left 
behind  him. 

"  But,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  it  was  not  in  this  that  the  match 
less  attributes  of  his  character  were  found.  You  have  assembled 
here,  not  so  much  to  do  honor  to  General  Lee,  but  to  testify  your 
appreciation  of  the  worth  of  the  principles  governing  his  charac 
ter  ;  and  if  the  minds  of  this  assemblage  were  explored,  you 
would  find  there  was  a  gentleness  and  a  grace  in  his  character 
which  had  won  your  love  and  brought  forth  testimonials  of  uni 
versal  admiration.  Take  but  a  single  instance.  At  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg,  after  the  attack  on  the  cemetery,  when  his  troops 
were  repulsed  and  beaten,  the  men  threw  up  their  muskets  and 
said,  c  General,  we  have  failed,  and  it  is  our  fault.'  '  No,  my 
men,'  said  he,  knowing  the  style  of  fighting  of  General  Stone 
wall  Jackson,  f  you  have  done  well ;  'tis  my  fault ;  I  am  to 
blame,  and  no  one  but  me.'  What  man  is  there  that  would  not 
have  gone  to  renewed  death  for  such  a  leader  ?  So,  when  we 
examine  his  whole  character,  it  is  in  his  private  life  that  you  find 
his  true  greatness — the  Christian  simplicity  of  his  character  and 
his  great  veneration  for  truth  and  nobility,  the  grand  elements 
of  his  greatness.  What  man  could  have  laid  down  his  sword  at 
the  feet  of  a  victorious  general  with  greater  dignity  than  did  he 


TRIBUTES   TO   GENERAL  LEE.  513 

at  Appomattox  Court-House  ?  He  laid  down  his  sword  with 
grace  and  dignity,  and  secured  for  his  soldiers  the  best  terms 
that  fortune  would  permit.  In  that  he  shows  marked  greatness 
seldom  shown  by  great  captains. 

"  After  the  battle  of  Sedan,  the  wild  cries  of  the  citizens  of 
Paris  went  out  for  the  blood  of  the  emperor ;  but  at  Appomat 
tox,  veneration  and  love  only  met  the  eyes  of  the  troops  who 
looked  upon  their  commander.  I  will  not  trespass  upon  your 
time  much  further.  When  I  last  saw  him  the  raven  hair  had 
turned  white.  In  a  small  village  church  his  reverent  head  was 
bowed  in  prayer.  The  humblest  step  was  that  of  Robert  E.  Lee, 
as  he  entered  the  portals  of  the  temple  erected  to  God.  In  broken 
responses  he  answered  to  the  services  of  the  Church.  Noble,  sin 
cere,  and  humble  in  his  religion,  he  showed  forth  his  true  char 
acter  in  laying  aside  his  sword  to  educate  the  youth  of  his  coun 
try.  Never  did  he  appear  more  noble  than  at  that  time.  He  is 
now  gone,  and  rests  in  peace,  and  has  crossed  that  mysterious 
stream  that  Stonewall  Jackson  saw  with  inspired  eyes  when  he 
asked  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  take  his  troops  across  the 
river  and  forever  rest  beneath  the  shadows  of  the  trees." 

After  a  few  remarks  from  Hon.  D.  Y.  Lyttle,  the  meeting 
adjourned. 

AUGUSTA,  GA. 

A  meeting  was  held  at  Augusta,  on  October  18th,  at  the 
City  Hall.  The  preamble  and  resolutions  adopted  were  as  fol 
lows  : 

"  Whereas,  This  day,  throughout  all  this  Southern  land,  sor 
row,  many-tongued,  is  ascending  to  heaven  for  the  death  of 
Robert  E.  Lee,  and  communities  everywhere  are  honoring  them 
selves  in  striving  to  do  honor  to  that  great  name ;  and  we,  the 
people  of  Augusta,  who  were  not  laggards  in  upholding  his 
glorious  banner  while  it  floated  to  the  breeze,  would  swell  the 
general  lamentation  of  his  departure :  therefore  be  it 

"  Resolved,  That  no  people  in  the  tide  of  time  has  been  be 
reaved  as  we  are  bereaved  ;  for  no  other  people  has  had  such  a 
man  to  lose.  Greece,  rich  in  heroes ;  Rome,  prolific  mother  of 


514  APPENDIX. 

great  citizens,  so  that  the  name  of  Roman  is  the  synonyme  of  all 
that  is  noblest  in  citizenship — had  no  man  coming  up  to  the  full 
measure  of  this  great  departed.  On  scores  of  battle-fields,  con 
summate  commander ;  everywhere,  bravest  soldier  ;  in  failure, 
sublimest  hero ;  in  disbanding  his  army,  most  pathetic  of  wri 
ters  ;  in  persecution,  most  patient  of  power's  victims ;  in  private 
life,  purest  of  men — he  was  such  that  all  Christendom,  with  one 
consent,  named  him  GKEAT.  We,  recalling  that  so  also  mankind 
have  styled  Alexander,  Caesar,  Frederick,  and  Napoleon,  and  be 
holding  in  the  Confederate  leader  qualities  higher  and  better 
than  theirs,  find  that  language  poor  indeed  which  only  enables 
us  to  call  him  '  great ' — him  standing  among  the  great  of  all  ages 
preeminent. 

"  Jtesolved,  That  our  admiration  of  the  man  is  not  the  partial 
judgment  of  his  adherents  only ;  but  so  clear  stand  his  greatness 
and  his  goodness,  that  even  the  bitterest  of  foes  has  not  ventured 
to  asperse  him.  While  the  air  has  been  filled  with  calumnies 
and  revilings  of  his  cause,  none  have  been  aimed  at  him.  If 
there  are  spirits  so  base  that  they  cannot  discover  and  reverence 
his  greatness  and  his  goodness,  they  have  at  least  shrunk  from 
encountering  the  certain  indignation  of  mankind.  This  day — dis 
franchised  by  stupid  power  as  he  was ;  branded,  as  he  was,  in 
the  perverted  vocabulary  of  usurpers  as  rebel  and  traitor — his 
death  has  even  in  distant  lands  moved  more  tongues  and  stirred 
more  hearts  than  the  siege  of  a  mighty  city  and  the  triumphs  of 
a  great  king. 

"  Resolved^  That,  while  he  died  far  too  soon  for  his  country, 
he  had  lived  long  enough  for  his  fame.  This  was  complete,  and 
the  future  could  unfold  nothing  to  add  to  it.  In  this  age  of 
startling  changes,  imagination  might  have  pictured  him,  even  in 
the  years  which  he  yet  lacked  of  the  allotted  period  of  human 
life,  once  more  at  the  head  of  devoted  armies  and  the  conqueror 
of  glorious  fields  ;  but  none  could  have  been  more  glorious  than 
those  he  had  already  won.  Wrong,  too,  might  again  have  tri 
umphed  over  Right,  and  he  have  borne  defeat  with  sublimest 
resignation ;  but  this  he  had  already  done  at  Appomattox.  Un 
relenting  hate  to  his  lost  cause  might  have  again  consigned  him 
to  the  walks  of  private  life,  and  he  have  become  an  exemplar  of 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  515 

all  the  virtues  of  a  private  station ;  but  this  he  had  already  been 
in  the  shades  of  Lexington.  The  contingencies  of  the  future 
could  only  have  revealed  him  greatest  soldier,  sublimest  hero, 
best  of  men ;  and  he  was  already  all  of  these.  The  years  to 
come  were  barren  of  any  thing  which  could  add  to  his  perfect 
name  and  fame.  He  had  nothing  to  lose ;  but,  alas  1  we,  his 
people,  every  thing  by  his  departure  from  this  world,  which  was 
unworthy  of  him,  to  that  other  where  the  good  and  the  pure  of 
all  ages  will  welcome  him.  Thither  follow  him  the  undying  love 
of  every  true  Southern  man  and  woman,  and  the  admiration  of 
all  the  world." 

ADDEESS  OF  GENEEAL  A.  R.  WEIGHT. 

"  Mr.  Chairman :  I  rise  simply  to  move  the  adoption  of 
the  resolutions  which  have  just  been  read  to  the  meeting  by 
Major  Gumming.  You  have  heard,  and  the  people  here  as 
sembled  have  heard,  these  resolutions.  They  are  truthful,  elo 
quent,  and  expressive.  Although  announced  as  a  speaker  on 
this  sad  occasion,  I  had  determined  to  forego  any  such  attempt ; 
but  an  allusion,  a  passing  reference  to  one  of  the  sublime  virtues 
of  the  illustrious  dead,  made  in  the  resolutions  which  have  just 
been  read  in  your  hearing,  has  induced  me  to  add  a  word  or  two. 
Your  resolutions  speak  of  General  Lee's  patience  under  the  per 
secutions  of  power.  It  was  this  virtue  which  ennobled  the  char 
acter,  as  it  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  traits  in  the  life,  of 
him  for  whose  death  a  whole  nation,  grief-stricken,  mourns,  and 
to  pay  a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  whom  this  multitude  has  as 
sembled  here  this  morning.  While  General  Lee  was  all,  and 
more  than  has  been  said  of  him — the  great  general,  the  true 
Christian,  and  the  valiant  soldier — there  was  another  character  in 
which  he  appeared  more  conspicuously  than  in  any  of  the  rest — 
the  quiet  dignity  with  which  he  encountered  defeat,  and  the  pa 
tience  with  which  he  met  the  persecution  of  malignant  power. 
We  may  search  the  pages  of  all  history,  both  sacred  and  profane, 
and  there  seems  to  be  but  one  character  who  possessed  in  so 
large  a  degree  this  remarkable  trait.  Take  General  Lee's  whole 
life  and  examine  it ;  observe  his  skill  and  courage  as  a  soldier, 
his  patriotism  and  his  fidelity  to  principle,  the  purity  of  his 


516  APPENDIX. 

private  life,  and  then  remember  the  disasters  which  he  faced  and 
the  persecutions  to  which  he  was  subjected,  and  it  would  seem 
that  no  one  ever  endured  so  much — not  even  David,  the  sweet 
singer  of  Israel.  Job  has  been  handed  down  to  posterity  by  the 
pages  of  sacred  history  as  the  embodiment  of  patience,  as  the 
man  who,  overwhelmed  with  the  most  numerous  and  bitter  afflic 
tions,  never  lost  his  fortitude,  and  who  endured  every  fresh  trial 
with  uncomplaining  resignation ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  even 
Job  displayed  not  the  patience  of  our  own  loved  hero ;  for,  while 
Job  suffered  much,  he  endured  less  than  General  Lee.  Job  was 
compelled  to  lose  his  children,  his  friends,  and  his  property,  but 
he  was  never  required  to  give  up  country ;  General  Lee  was, 
and,  with  more  than  the  persecutions  of  Job,  he  stands  revealed 
to  the  world  the  truest  and  the  most  sublime  hero  whom  the 
ages  have  produced.  To  a  patriot  like  Lee  the  loss  of  country 
was  the  greatest  evil  which  could  be  experienced,  and  it  was  this 
last  blow  which  has  caused  us  to  assemble  here  to-day  to  mourn 
his  departure.  He  lost  friends  and  kindred  and  property  in  the 
struggle,  and  yet,  according  to  the  news  which  the  telegraph 
brought  us  this  morning,  it  was  the  loss  of  his  cause  which  finally 
sundered  the  heart-strings  of  the  hero,  and  drew  him  from  earth 
to  heaven.  Yes,  the  weight  of  this  great  sorrow  which  first  fell 
upon  him  under  the  fatal  apple-tree  at  Appomattox,  has  dwelt 
with  him,  growing  heavier  and  more  unendurable  with  each  suc 
ceeding  year,  from  that  time  until  last  Wednesday  morn  when 
the  soul  of  Lee  passed  away. 

"  As  I  said  before,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  only  rose  to  move  the 
adoption  of  the  resolutions;  and  if  I  have  said  more  than  I 
ought  to  have  said,  it  is  because  I  knew  the  illustrious  dead, 
because  I  loved  him,  and  because  I  mourn  his  loss." 

ADDRESS  OF  JUDGE  HILLIAED. 

"It  is  proper  that  the  people  should  pay  a  public  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  a  great  man  when  he  dies.  Not  a  ruler,  not  one 
who  merelv  holds  a  great  public  position,  but  a  great  man,  one 
who  has  served  his  day  and  generation.  It  cannot  benefit  the 
dead,  but  it  is  eminently  profitable  to  the  living.  The  conscious 
ness  than  when  we  cease  to  live  our  memory  will  be  cherished, 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  517 

is  a  noble  incentive  to  live  well.  This  great  popular  demonstra 
tion  is  due  to  General  Lee's  life  and  character.  It  is  not  ordered 
by  the  Government — the  Government  ignored  him ;  but  is  ren 
dered  as  a  spontaneous  tribute  to  the  memory  of  an  illustrious 
man — good,  true,  and  great.  He  held  no  place  in  the  Govern 
ment,  and  since  the  war  has  had  no  military  rank ;  but  he  was  a 
true  man.  After  all,  that  is  the  noblest  tribute  you  can  pay  to 
any  man,  to  say  of  him  he  was  a  true  man. 

"General  Lee's  character  was  eminently  American.  In 
Europe  they  have  their  ideas,  their  standards  of  merit,  their  re 
wards  for  great  exploits.  They  cover  one  with  decorations; 
they  give  him  a  great  place  in  the  government ;  they  make  him 
a  marshal.  "Wellington  began  his  career  with  humble  rank.  He 
was  young  Wellesley ;  he  rose  to  be  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 
In  our  country  we  have  no  such  rewards  for  great  deeds.  One 
must  enjoy  the  patronage  of  the  Government,  or  he  must  take 
the  fortunes  of  private  life. 

"  General  Lee  was  educated  at  the  great  Military  Academy, 
West  Point.  He  entered  the  army ;  was  promoted  from  time  to 
time  for  brilliant  services  ;  in  Mexico  fought  gallantly  under  the 
flag  of  the  United  States ;  and  was  still  advancing  in  his  mili 
tary  career  in  1861,  when  Virginia  became  involved  in  the  great 
contest  that  then  grew  up  between  the  States.  Virginia  was  his 
mother ;  she  called  him  to  her  side  to  defend  her,  and,  resigning 
his  commission  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  not  for  a  mo 
ment  looking  for  advancement  there,  not  counting  the  cost,  not 
offering  his  sword  to  the  service  of  power,  nor  yet  laying  it 
down  at  the  feet  of  the  Government — he  unsheathed  it  and  took 
his  stand  in  defence  of  the  great  principles  asserted  by  Vir 
ginia  in  the  Revolution,  when  she  contended  with  Great  Britain 
the  right  of  every  people  to  choose  their  own  form  of  govern 
ment.  Lost  or  won,  to  him  the  cause  was  always  the  same — it 
was  the  cause  of  constitutional  liberty.  He  stood  by  it  to  the 
last.  What  must  have  been  the  convictions  of  a  man  like  Gen 
eral  Lee,  when,  mounted  on  the  same  horse  that  had  borne  him 
in  battle,  upon  which  he  was  seated  when  the  lines  of  battle 
formed  by  his  own  heroic  men  wavered,  and  he  seized  the  stand 
ard  to  lead  the  charge ;  but  his  soldiers  rushed  to  him,  and  lay- 


518  APPENDIX. 

ing  their  hands  on  his  bridle,  said,  i  General,  we  cannot  fire  a 
gun  unless  you  retire  ? '  What  must  have  been  his  emotions  as 
he  rode,  through  his  own  lines  at  Appomattox,  to  the  commander 
of  the  opposing  army,  and  tendered  his  sword  ?  Search  the  an 
nals  of  history,  ancient  and  modern ;  consult  the  lives  of  heroes ; 
study  the  examples  of  greatness  recorded  in  Greece  leading  the 
way  on  the  triumphs  of  popular  liberty,  or  in  Rome  in  the  best 
days  of  her  imperial  rule ;  take  statesmen,  generals,  or  men  of 
patient  thought  who  outwatched  the  stars  in  exploring  knowl 
edge,  and  I  declare  to  you  that  I  do  not  find  anywhere  a  sub- 
limer  sentiment  than  General  Lee  uttered  when  he  said, '  Human 
virtue  ought  to  be  equal  to  human  calamity.'  It  will  live  for 
ever. 

"  General  Lee  died  at  the  right  time.  His  sun  did  not  go 
down  in  the  strife  of  battle,  in  the  midst  of  the  thunder  of  can 
non,  dimmed  by  the  lurid  smoke  of  war.  He  survived  all  this : 
lived  with  so  much  dignity ;  silent,  yet  thoughtful ;  unseduced 
by  the  offers  of  gain  or  of  advancement  however  tempting ;  dis 
daining  to  enter  into  contests  for  small  objects,  until  the  broad 
disk  went  down  behind  the  Virginia  hills,  shedding  its  departing 
lustre  not  only  upon  this  country  but  upon  the  whole  world.  His 
memory  is  as  much  respected  in  England  as  it  is  here ;  and  at  the 
North  as  well  as  at  the  South  true  hearts  honor  it. 

"There  is  one  thing  I  wish  to  say  before  I  take  my  seat. 
General  Lee's  fame  ought  to  rest  on  the  true  base.  He  did  not 
draw  his  sword  to  perpetuate  human  slavery,  whatever  may  have 
been  his  opinions  in  regard  to  it;  he  did  not  seek  to  overthrow 
the  Government  of  the  United  States.  He  drew  it  in  defence 
of  constitutional  liberty.  That  cause  is  not  dead,  but  will  live 
forever.  The  result  of  the  war  established  the  authority  of  the 
United  States ;  the  Union  will  stand — let  it  stand  forever.  The 
flag  floats  over  the  whole  country  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pa 
cific  ;  let  it  increase  in  lustre,  and  let  the  power  of  the  Government 
grow ;  still  the  cause  for  which  General  Lee  struck  is  not  a  lost 
cause.  It  is  conceded  that  these  States  must  continue  united 
under  a  common  government.  "We  do  not  wish  to  sunder  it,  nor 
to  disturb  it.  But  the  great  principle  that  underlies  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  United  States — the  principle  that  the  people  have 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  519 

a  right  to  choose  their  own  form  of  government,  and  to  have 
their  liberties  protected  by  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution — 
is  an  indestructible  principle.  You  cannot  destroy  it.  Like  Mil 
ton's  angels,  it  is  immortal ;  you  may  wound,  but  you  cannot  kill 
it.  It  is  like  the  volcanic  fires  that  flame  in  the  depths  of  the 
earth ;  it  will  yet  upheave  the  ocean  and  the  land,  and  flame  up 
to  heaven. 

"  Young  Emmett  said,  *  Let  no  man  write  my  epitaph  until 
my  country  is  free,  and  takes  her  place  among  the  nations  of  the 
earth.'  But  you  may  write  General  Lee's  epitaph  now.  The 
principle  for  which  he  fought  will  survive  him.  His  evening  was 
in  perfect  harmony  with  his  life.  He  had  time  to  think,  to  recall 
the  past,  to  prepare  for  the  future.  An  offer,  originating  in 
Georgia,  and  I  believe  in  this  very  city,  was  made  to  him  to  place 
an  immense  sum  of  money  at  his  disposal  if  he  would  consent  to 
reside  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  represent  Southern  commerce. 
Millions  would  have  flowed  to  him.  But  he  declined.  He  said : 
'  No ;  I  am  grateful,  but  I  have  a  self-imposed  task  which  I  must 
accomplish.  I  have  led  the  young  men  of  the  South  in  battle ;  I 
have  seen  many  of  them  fall  under  my  standard.  I  shall  devote 
my  life  now  to  training  young  men  to  do  their  duty  in  life.'  And 
he  did.  It  was  beautiful  to  see  him  in  that  glorious  valley  where 
Lexington  stands,  the  lofty  mountains  throwing  their  protecting 
shadows  over  its  quiet  home.  General  Lee's  fame  is  not  bound 
ed  by  the  limits  of  the  South,  nor  by  the  continent.  I  rejoice 
that  the  South  gave  him  birth  ;  I  rejoice  that  the  South  will  hold 
his  ashes.  But  his  fame  belongs  to  the  human  race.  "Washing 
ton,  too,  was  born  in  the  South  and  sleeps  in  the  South.  But  his 
great  fame  is  not  to  be  appropriated  by  this  country ;  it  is  the 
inheritance  of  mankind.  We  place  the  name  of  Lee  by  that  of 
Washington.  They  both  belong  to  the  world." 

NEW    ORLEANS. 

A  meeting  was  held  in  the  St.  Charles  Theatre,  as  the  largest 
building  in  the  city.  The  Hon.  W.  M.  Burwell  delivered  an  elo 
quent  address,  of  which  we  regret  that  we  have  been  able  to  ob 
tain  no  report.  The  meeting  was  then  addressed  by  the 


520  APPENDIX. 

HON.  THOMAS  J.  SEMMES. 

"  ROBERT  E.  LEE  is  dead.  The  Potomac,  overlooked  by  the 
home  of  the  hero,  once  dividing  contending  peoples,  but  now  nc 
longer  a  boundary,  conveys  to  the  ocean  a  nation's  tears.  South 
of  the  Potomac  is  mourning;  profound  grief  pervades  every 
heart,  lamentation  is  heard  from  every  hearth,  for  Lee  sleeps 
among  the  slain  whose  memory  is  so  dear  to  us.  In  the  lan 
guage  of  Moina : 

4  They  were  slain  for  us, 
And  their  blood  flowed  out  in  a  rain  for  us, 
Red,  rich,  and  pure,  on  the  plain  for  us  ; 

And  years  may  go. 

But  our  tears  shall  flow 
O'er  the  dead  who  have  died  in  vain  for  us.' 

North  of  the  Potomac  not  only  sympathizes  with  its  widowed 
sister,  but,  with  respectful  homage,  the  brave  and  generous,  clus 
tering  around  the  corpse  of  the  great  Virginian,  with  one  accord 
exclaim : 

'  This  earth  that  bears  thee  dead, 
Bears  not  alive  so  stout  a  gentleman.' 

Sympathetic  nations,  to  whom  our  lamentations  have  been  trans 
mitted  on  the  wings  of  lightning,  will  with  pious  jealousy  envy 
our  grief,  because  Robert  E.  Lee  was  an  American.  Seven  cities 
claimed  the  honor  of  having  given  birth  to  the  great  pagan  poet ; 
but  all  Christian  nations,  while  revering  America  as  the  mother 
of  Robert  E.  Lee,  will  claim  for  the  nineteenth  century  the  honor 
of  his  birth.  There  was  but  one  Lee,  the  great  Christian  cap 
tain,  and  his  fame  justly  belongs  to  Christendom.  The  nineteenth 
century  has  attacked  every  thing — it  has  attacked  God,  the  soul, 
reason,  morals,  society,  the  distinction  between  good  and  evil. 
Christianity  is  vindicated  by  the  virtues  of  Lee.  He  is  the  most 
brilliant  and  cogent  argument  in  favor  of  a  system  illustrated  by 
such  a  man ;  he  is  the  type  of  the  reign  of  law  in  the  moral  or 
der — that  reign  of  law  which  the  philosophic  Duke  of  Argyll 
has  so  recently  and  so  ably  discussed  as  pervading  the  natural  as 
well  as  the  supernatural  world.  One  of  the  chief  characteristics 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  521 

of  the  Christian  is  duty.  Throughout  a  checkered  life  the  con 
scientious  performance  of  duty  seems  to  have  been  the  main 
spring  of  the  actions  of  General  Lee.  In  his  relations  of  father, 
son,  husband,  soldier,  citizen,  duty  shines  conspicuous  in  all  his 
acts.  His  agency  as  he  advanced  to  more  elevated  stations  at 
tracts  more  attention,  and  surrounds  him  with  a  brighter  halo  of 
glory ;  but  he  is  unchanged ;  from  first  to  last  it  is  Robert  E. 
Lee. 

"  The  most  momentous  act  of  his  life  was  the  selection  of 
sides  at  the  commencement  of  the  political  troubles  which  im 
mediately  preceded  the  recent  conflict.  High  in  military  rank, 
caressed  by  General  Scott,  courted  by  those  possessed  of  influ 
ence  and  authority,  no  politician,  happy  in  his  domestic  relations, 
and  in  the  enjoyment  of  competent  fortune,  consisting  in  the 
main  of  property  situated  on  the  borders  of  Virginia — neverthe 
less  impelled  by  a  sense  of  duty,  as  he  himself  testified  before  a 
Congressional  committee  since  the  war,  General  Lee  determined 
to  risk  all  and  unite  his  fortunes  with  those  of  his  native  State, 
whose  ordinances  as  one  of  her  citizens  he  considered  himself 
bound  to  obey. 

"Having  joined  the  Confederate  army,  he  complained  not 
that  he  was  assigned  to  the  obscure  duty  of  constructing  coast- 
defences  for  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  nor  that  he  was  subse 
quently  relegated  to  unambitious  commands  in  Western  Virginia. 
The  accidental  circumstance  that  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston 
was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines  in  May,  1862,  placed 
Lee  in  command  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  As  com 
mander  of  that  army  he  achieved  world-wide  reputation,  without 
giving  occasion  during  a  period  of  three  years  to  any  complaint 
on  the  part  of  officers,  men,  or  citizens,  or  enemies,  that  he  had 
been  guilty  of  any  act,  illegal,  oppressive,  unjust,  or  inhuman  in 
its  character.  This  is  the  highest  tribute  possible  to  the  wisdom 
and  virtue  of  General  Lee ;  for,  as  a  general  rule,  law  was  de 
graded;  officers,  whether  justly  or  unjustly,  were  constantly  the 
subject  of  complaint  and  discord,  and  jealousy  prevailed  in  camp 
and  in  the  Senate-chamber.  There  was  a  fraction  of  our  people 
represented  by  an  unavailing  minority  in  Congress,  who  either 
felt,  or  professed  to  feel,  a  jealousy  whose  theory  was  just,  but 
35 


522  APPENDIX. 

whose  application,  at  such  a  time,  was  unsound.  They  wished 
to  give  as  little  power  as  possible  because  they  dreaded  a  mili 
tary  despotism,  and  thus  desired  to  send  our  armies  forth  with 
half  a  shield  and  broken  swords  to  protect  the  government  from 
its  enemies,  lest,  if  the  bucklers  were  entire  and  the  swords 
perfect,  they  might  be  tempted,  in  the  heyday  of  victory,  to 
smite  their  employers.  But  this  want  of  confidence  never  mani 
fested  itself  toward  General  Lee,  whose  conduct  satisfied  the 
most  suspicious  that  his  ambition  was  not  of  glory  but  of  the 
performance  of  duty.  The  army  always  felt  this :  the  fact  that 
he  sacrificed  no  masses  of  human  beings  in  desperate  charges 
that  he  might  gather  laurels  from  the  spot  enriched  by  their 
gore.  A  year  or  more  before  he  was  appointed  command  er-in- 
chief  of  all  the  Confederate  forces,  a  bill  passed  Congress  creat 
ing  that  office.  It  failed  to  become  a  law,  the  President  having 
withheld  his  approval.  Lee  made  no  complaints ;  his  friends 
solicited  no  votes  to  counteract  the  veto.  When  a  bill  for  the 
same  purpose  was  passed  at  a  subsequent  period,  it  was  whis 
pered  about  that  he  could  not  accept  the  position.  To  a  com 
mittee  of  Virginians  who  had  called  on  him  to  ascertain  the 
truth,  his  reply  was,  that  he  felt  bound  to  accept  any  post  the 
duties  of  which  his  country  believed  him  competent  to  perform. 
After  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  he  tendered  his  resignation  to 
President  Davis,  because  he  was  apprehensive  his  failure,  the 
responsibility  for  which  he  did  not  pretend  to  throw  on  his 
troops  or  officers,  would  produce  distrust  of  his  abilities  and 
destroy  his  usefulness.  I  am  informed  the  President,  in  a  beauti 
ful  and  touching  letter,  declined  to  listen  to  such  a  proposition. 
During  the  whole  period  of  the  war  he  steadily  declined  all  pres 
ents,  and  when,  on  one  occasion,  a  gentleman  sent  him  several 
dozen  of  wine,  he  turned  it  over  to  the  hospitals  in  Richmond, 
saying  the  wounded  and  sick  needed  it  more  than  he.  He  was 
extremely  simple  and  unostentatious  in  his  habits,  and  shared 
with  his  soldiers  their  privations  as  well  as  their  dangers.  Tow 
ard  the  close  of  the  war,  meat  was  very  scarce  within  the  Con 
federate  lines  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  contending  armies. 
An  aide  of  the  President,  having  occasion  to  visit  General  Lee 
on  official  business  in  the  field,  was  invited  to  dinner.  The  meal 


TRIBUTES  TO  GENERAL  LEE.  523 

spread  on  the  table  consisted  of  corn-bread  and  a  small  piece  of 
bacon  buried  in  a  large  dish  of  greens.  The  quick-eyed  aide  dis 
covered  that  none  of  the  company,  which  was  composed  of  the 
general's  personal  staff,  partook  of  the  meat,  though  requested 
to  do  so  in  the  most  urbane  manner  by  the  general,  who  pre 
sided ;  he,  therefore,  also  declined,  and  noticed  that  the  meat 
was  carried  off  untouched.  After  the  meal  was  over,  he  in 
quired  of  one  of  the  officers  present  what  was  the  reason  for  this 
extraordinary  conduct.  His  reply  was,  *  We  had  borrowed  the 
meat  for  the  occasion,  and  promised  to  return  it.' 

"Duty  alone  induced  this  great  soldier  to  submit  to  such 
privation,  for  the  slightest  intimation  given  to  friends  in  Rich 
mond  would  have  filled  his  tent  with  all  the  luxuries  that  block 
ade-runners  and  speculators  had  introduced  for  the  favored  few 
able  to  purchase. 

"  This  performance  of  duty  was  accompanied  by  no  harsh 
manner  or  cynical  expressions;  for  the  man  whose  soul  is  en 
nobled  by  true  heroism,  possesses  a  heart  as  tender  as  it  is  firm. 
His  calmness  under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  and  his  uni 
form  sweetness  of  manner,  were  almost  poetical.  They  mani 
fested  £  the  most  sustained  tenderness  of  soul  that  ever  caressed 
the  chords  of  a  lyre.'  In  council  he  was  temperate  and  patient, 
and  his  words  fell  softly  and  evenly  as  snow-flakes,  like  the 
sentences  that  fell  from  the  lips  of  Ulysses. 

"  On  the  termination  of  the  war,  his  conduct  until  his  death 
has  challenged  the  admiration  of  friends  and  foes ;  he  honestly 
acquiesced  in  the  inevitable  result  of  the  struggle ;  no  discontent, 
sourness,  or  complaint,  has  marred  his  tranquil  life  at  Washington 
College,  where  death  found  him  at  his  post  of  duty,  engaged  in 
fitting  the  young  men  of  his  country,  by  proper  discipline  and 
education,  for  the  performance  of  the  varied  duties  of  life.  It  is 
somewhat  singular  that  both  Lee  and  his  great  lieutenant,  Jack 
son,  should  in  their  last  moments  have  referred  to  Hill.  It  is  re 
ported  that  General  Lee  said,  'Let  my  tent  be  struck;  send  foi 
Hill ; '  while  the  lamented  Jackson  in  his  delirium  cried  out, '  Let 
A.  P.  Hill  prepare  for  action ;  march  the  infantry  rapidly  to  the 
front.  Let  us  cross  over  the  river  and  rest  under  the  shade  of  the 
trees.'  Both  heroes  died  with  commands  for  military  movements 


524  APPENDIX. 

on  their  lips ;  both  the  noblest  specimens  of  the  Christian  soldier 
produced  by  any  country  or  any  age  ;  both  now  rest  under  the 
shade  of  the  trees  of  heaven." 

REY.  DE.  PAUPER 
Then  spoke  as  follows : 

"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  I  should  have  been  better  pleased 
had  I  been  permitted  to  sit  a  simple  listener  to  the  eloquent 
tribute  paid  to  the  immortal  chieftain  who  now  reposes  in  death, 
by  the  speaker  who  has  just  taken  his  seat.  The  nature  of  my 
calling  so  far  separates  me  from  public  life  that  I  am  scarcely 
competent  for  the  office  of  alluding  to  the  elements  which  natu 
rally  gather  around  his  career.  When  informed  that  other  artists 
would  draw  the  picture  of  the  warrior  and  the  hero,  I  yielded  a 
cheerful  compliance,  in  the  belief  that  nothing  was  left  but  to 
describe  the  Christian  and  the  man.  You  are  entirely  familiar 
with  the  early  life  of  him  over  whose  grave  you  this  night  shed 
tears ;  with  his  grave  and  sedate  boyhood  giving  promise  of  the 
reserved  force  of  mature  manhood ;  with  his  academic  career  at 
West  Point,  where  he  received  the  highest  honors  of  a  class  bril 
liant  with  such  names  as  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  ;  his  seizure 
of  the  highest  honors  of  a  long  apprenticeship  in  that  institution, 
and  his  abrupt  ascension  in  the  Mexican  War  from  obscurity  to 
fame — all  are  too  firmly  stamped  in  the  minds  of  his  admirers  to 
require  even  an  allusion.  You  are  too  familiar  to  need  a  repeti 
tion  from  my  lips  of  that  great  mental  and  spiritual  struggle 
passed,  not  one  night,  but  many,  when,  abandoning  the  service  in 
which  he  had  gathered  so  much  of  honor  and  reputation,  he  de 
termined  to  lay  his  heart  upon  the  altar  of  his  native  State,  and 
swear  to  live  or  die  in  her  defence. 

"  It  would  be  a  somewhat  singular  subject  of  speculation  to 
discover  how  it  is  that  national  character  so  often  remarkably  ex 
presses  itself  in  single  individuals  who  are  born  as  representatives 
of  a  class.  It  is  wonderful,  for  it  has  been  the  remark  of  ages, 
how  the  great  are  born  in  clusters ;  sometimes,  indeed,  one  star 
shining  with  solitary  splendor  in  the  firmament  above,  but  gener 
ally  gathered  in  grand  constellations,  filling  the  sky  with  glory. 
What  is  that  combination  of  influences,  partly  physical,  partly 


TRIBUTES  TO  GENERAL  LEE.  525 

intellectual,  but  somewhat  more  moral,  which  should  make  a 
particular  country  productive  of  men  great  over  all  others  on 
earth  and  to  all  ages  of  time  ?  Ancient  Greece,  with  her  indent 
ed  coast,  inviting  to  maritime  adventures,  from  her  earliest  period 
was  the  mother  of  heroes  in  war,  of  poets  in  song,  of  sculptors 
and  artists,  and  stands  up  after  the  lapse  of  centuries  the  educa 
tor  of  mankind,  living  in  the  grandeur  of  her  works  and  in  the 
immortal  productions  of  minds  which  modern  civilization  with  all 
its  cultivation  and  refinement  and  science  never  surpassed  and 
scarcely  equalled.  And  why  in  the  three  hundred  years  of 
American  history  it  should  be  given  to  the  Old  Dominion  to  be 
the  grand  mother,  not  only  of  States,  but  of  the  men  by  whom 
States  and  empires  are  formed,  it  might  be  curious  were  it  possi 
ble  for  us  to  inquire.  Unquestionably,  Mr.  President,  there  is  in 
this  problem  the  element  of  race ;  for  he  is  blind  to  all  the  truths 
of  history,  to  all  the  revelations  of  the  past,  who  does  not  recog 
nize  a  select  race  as  we  recognize  a  select  individual  of  a  race,  to 
make  all  history ;  but  pretermitting  all  speculation  of  that  sort, 
when  Virginia  unfolds  the  scroll  of  her  immortal  sons — not  be 
cause  illustrious  men  did  not  precede  him  gathering  in  constella 
tions  and  clusters,  but  because  the  name  shines  out  through  those 
constellations  and  clusters  in  all  its  peerless  grandeur — we  read 
the  name  of  George  Washington.  And  then,  Mr.  President,  after 
the  interval  of  three-quarters  of  a  century,  when  }Tour  jealous  eye 
has  ranged  down  the  record  and  traced  the  names  that  history 
will  never  let  die,  you  come  to  the  name — the  only  name  in  all 
the  annals  of  history  that  can  be  named  in  the  perilous  connec 
tion — of  Robert  E.  Lee,  the  second  Washington.  Well  may  old 
Virginia  be  proud  of  her  twin  sons !  born  almost  a  century  apart, 
but  shining  like  those  binary  stars  which  open  their  glory  and 
shed  their  splendor  on  the  darkness  of  the  world. 

"  Sir,  it  is  not  an  artifice  of  rhetoric  which  suggests  this  par 
allel  between  two  great  names  in  American  history ;  for  the 
suggestion  springs  spontaneously  to  every  mind,  and  men  scarcely 
speak  of  Lee  without  thinking  of  a  mysterious  connection  that 
binds  the  two  together.  They  were  alike  in  the  presage  of  their, 
early  history — the  history  of  their  boyhood.  Both  earnest,  grave, 
studious ;  both  alike  in  that  peculiar  purity  which  belongs  only 


526  APPENDIX. 

to  a  noble  boy,  and  which  makes  him  a  brave  and  noble  man,  fill 
ing  the  page  of  a  history  spotless  until  closed  in  death ;  alike  in 
that  commanding  presence  which  seems  to  be  the  signature  of 
Heaven  sometimes  placed  on  a  great  soul  when  to  that  soul  is 
given  a  fit  dwelling-place  ;  alike  in  that  noble  carriage  and  com 
manding  dignity,  exercising  a  mesmeric  influence  and  a  hidden 
power  which  could  not  be  repressed,  upon  all  who  came  within 
its  charm ;  alike  in  the  remarkable  combination  and  symmetry  of 
their  intellectual  attributes,  all  brought  up  to  the  same  equal 
level,  no  faculty  of  the  mind  overlapping  any  other — all  so  equal, 
so  well  developed,  the  judgment,  the  reason,  the  memory,  the 
fancy,  that  you  are  almost  disposed  to  deny  them  greatness,  be 
cause  no  single  attribute  of  the  mind  was  projected  upon  itself, 
just  as  objects  appear  sometimes  smaller  to  the  eye  from  the  ex 
act  symmetry  and  beauty  of  their  proportions  ;  alike,  above  all, 
in  that  soul-greatness,  that  Christian  virtue  to  which  so  beautiful 
a  tribute  has  been  rendered  by  my  friend  whose  high  privilege  it 
was  to  be  a  compeer  and  comrade  with  the  immortal  dead,  al 
though  in  another  department  and  sphere ;  and  yet  alike,  Mr. 
President,  in  their  external  fortune,  so  strangely  dissimilar — the 
one  the  representative  and  the  agent  of  a  stupendous  revolution 
which  it  pleased  Heaven  to  bless  and  give  birth  to  one  of  the 
mightiest  nations  on  the  globe  ;  the  other  the  representative  and 
agent  of  a  similar  revolution,  upon  which  it  pleased  high  Heaven 
to  throw  the  darkness  of  its  frown ;  so  that,  bearing  upon  his 
generous  heart  the  weight  of  this  crushed  cause,  he  was  at  length 
overwhelmed ;  and  the  nation  whom  he  led  in  battle  gathers 
with  spontaneity  of  grief  over  all  this  land  which  is  ploughed 
with  graves  and  reddened  with  blood,  and  the  tears  of  a  widowed 
nation  in  her  bereavement  are  shed  over  his  honored  grave. 

"  But  these  crude  suggestions,  which  fall  almost  impromptu 
from  my  lips,  suggest  that  which  I  desire  to  offer  before  this 
audience  to-night.  I  accept  Robert  E.  Lee  as  the  true  type  of 
the  American  man  and  the  Southern  gentleman.  A  brilliant 
English  writer  has  well  remarked,  with  a  touch  of  sound  philoso 
phy,  that  when  a  nation  has  rushed  upon  its  fate,  the  whole  force 
of  the  national  life  will  sometimes  shoot  up  in  one  grand  charac 
ter,  like  the  aloe  which  blooms  at  the  end  of  a  hundred  years, 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  527 

shooting  up  in  one  single  spike  of  glory,  and  then  expires.  And 
wherever  philosophy,  refinement,  and  culture,  have  gone  upon  the 
globe,  it  is  possible  to  place  the  finger  upon  individual  men  who 
are  the  exemplars  of  a  nation's  character,  those  typical  forms 
under  which  others  less  noble,  less  expanded,  have  manifested 
themselves.  That  gentle,  that  perfect  moderation,  that  self-com 
mand  which  enabled  him  to  be  so  self-possessed  amid  the  most 
trying  difficulties  of  his  public  career,  a  refinement  almost  such 
as  that  which  marks  the  character  of  the  purest  woman,  were 
blended  in  him  with  that  massive  strength,  that  mighty  endur 
ance,  that  consistency  and  power  which  gave  him  and  the  people 
whom  he  led  such  momentum  under  the  disadvantages  of  the 
struggle  through  which  he  passed.  Born  from  the  general  level 
of  American  society,  blood  of  a  noble  ancestry  flowed  in  his 
veins,  and  he  was  a  type  of  the  race  from  which  he  sprang. 
Such  was  the  grandeur  and  urbaneness  of  his  manner,  the  dig 
nity  and  majesty  of  his  carriage,  that  his  only  peer  in  social  life 
could  be  found  in  courts  and  among  those  educated  amid  the 
refinements  of  courts  and  thrones.  In  that  regard  there  was 
something  beautiful  and  appropriate  that  he  should  become,  in 
the  later  years  of  his  life,  the  educator  of  the  young.  Sir,  it  is 
a  cause  for  mourning  before  high  Heaven  to-night  that  he  was 
not  spared  thirty  years  to  educate  a  generation  for  the  time  that 
is  to  come ;  for,  as  in  the  days  when  the  red  banner  streamed 
over  the  land,  the  South  sent  her  sons  to  fight  under  his  flag  and 
beneath  the  wave  of  his  sword,  these  sons  have  been  sent  again 
to  sit  at  his  feet  when  he  was  the  disciple  of  the  Muses  and  the 
teacher  of  philosophy.  Oh,  that  he  might  have  brought  his  more 
than  regal  character,  his  majestic  fame,  all  his  intellectual  and 
moral  endowments,  to  the  task  of  fitting  those  that  should  come 
in  the  crisis  of  the  future  to  take  the  mantle  that  had  fallen  from 
his  shoulders  and  bear  it  to  the  generations  that  are  unborn  ! 

"General  Lee  I  accept  as  the  representative  of  his  people, 
and  of  the  temper  with  which  this  whole  Southland  entered  into 
that  gigantic,  that  prolonged,  and  that  disastrous  struggle  which 
has  closed,  but  closed  as  to  us  in  grief.  Sir,  they  wrong  us  who 
say  that  the  South  was  ever  impatient  to  rupture  the  bonds  of 
the  American  Union.  The  war  of  1776,  which,  sir,  has  no  more 


528  APPENDIX. 

yet  a  written  history  than  has  the  war  of  1861  to  1865,  tells  us 
that  it  was  this  Southland  that  wrought  the  Revolution  of  1776. 
We  were  the  heirs  of  all  the  glory  of  that  immortal  struggle. 
It  was  purchased  with  our  blood,  with  the  blood  of  our  fathers 
which  yet  flows  in  these  veins,  and  which  we  desire  to  transmit, 
.pure  and  consecrated,  to  the  sons  that  are  born  to  our  loins. 
The  traditions  of  the  past  sixty  years  were  a  portion  of  our  heri 
tage,  and  it  never  was  easy  for  any  great  heart  and  reflective 
mind  even  to  seem  to  part  with  that  heritage  to  enter  upon  the 
perilous  effort  of  establishing  a  new  nationality. 

"  Mr.  President,  it  was  my  privilege  once  to  be  thrilled  in  a 
short  speech,,  uttered  by  one  of  the  noblest  names  clustering 
upon  the  roll  of  South  Carolina ;  for,  sir,  South  Carolina  was 
Virginia's  sister,  and  South  Carolina  stood  by  Virginia  in  the  old 
struggle,  as  Virginia  stood  by  South  Carolina  in  the  new,  and 
the  little  State,  small  as  Greece,  barren  in  resources  but  great 
only  in  the  grandeur  of  the  men,  in  their  gigantic  proportions, 
whom  she,  like  Virginia,  was  permitted  to  produce — I  heard, 
sir,  one  of  South  Carolina's  noblest  sons  speak  once  thus :  '  I 
walked  through  the  Tower  of  London,  that  grand  repository 
where  are  gathered  the  memorials  of  England's  martial  prowess ; 
and  when  the  guide,  in  the  pride  of  his  English  heart,  pointed 
to  the  spoils  of  war  collected  through  centuries  of  the  past,'  said 
this  speaker,  lifting  himself  upon  tiptoe  that  he  might  reach  to 
his  greatest  height,  '  I  said,  "  You  cannot  point  to  one  single 
trophy  from  my  people,  or  my  country,  though  England  engaged 
in  two  disastrous  wars  with  her." '  Sir,  this  was  the  sentiment. 
We  loved  every  inch  of  American  soil,  and  loved  every  part  of 
that  canvas  [pointing  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes  above  him],  which, 
as  a  symbol  of  power  and  authority,  floated  from  the  spires  and 
from  the  mast-head  of  our  vessels ;  and  it  was  after  the  anguish 
of  a  woman  in  birth  that  this  land,  that  now  lies  in  her  sorrow 
and  ruin,  took  upon  herself  that  great  peril ;  but  it  is  all  em 
blematized  in  the  regret  experienced  by  him  whose  praises  are 
upon  our  lips,  and  who,  like  the  English  Nelson,  recognized  duty 
engraved  in  letters  of  light  as  the  only  ensign  he  could  follow, 
and  who,  tearing  away  from  all  the  associations  of  his  early  life, 
and,  abandoning  the  reputation  gained  in  the  old  service,  made 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  529 

np  his  mind  to  embark  in  the  new,  and,  with  that  modesty  and 
that  firmness  belonging  only  to  the  truly  great,  expressed  his 
willingness  to  live  and  die  in  the  position  assigned  to  him. 

"  And  I  accept  this  noble  chieftain  equally  as  the  representa 
tive  of  this  Southland  in  the  spirit  of  his  retirement  from  strug 
gle.  It  could  not  escape  any  speaker  upon  this  platform  to. 
allude  to  the  dignity  of  that  retirement ;  how,  from  the  moment 
he  surrendered  he  withdrew  from  observation,  holding  aloof  from 
all  political  complications,  and  devoting  his  entire  energies  to 
the  great  work  he  had  undertaken  to  discharge.  In  this  he  rep 
resents  the  true  attitude  of  the  South  since  the  close  of  the  war 
— an  attitude  of  quiet  submission  to  the  conquering  power  and 
of  obedience  to  all  exactions ;  but  without  resiling  from  those 
great  principles  which  were  embalmed  in  the  struggle,  and  which, 
as  the  convictions  of  a  lifetime,  no  honest  mind  could  release. 

"  All  over  this  land  of  ours  there  are  men  like  Lee — not  as 
great,  not  as  symmetrical  in  the  development  of  character,  not  as 
grand  in  the  proportions  which  they  have  reached,  but  who,  like 
him,  are  sleeping  upon  memories  that  are  holy  as  death,  and 
who,  amid  all  reproach,  appeal  to  the  future,  and  to  the  tribunal 
of  History,  when  she  shall  render  her  final  verdict  in  reference 
to  the  struggle  closed,  for  the  vindication  of  the  people  em 
barked  in  that  struggle.  We  are  silent,  resigned,  obedient,  and 
thoughtful,  sleeping  upon  solemn  memories,  Mr.  President ;  but, 
as  said  by  the  poet-preacher  in  the  Good  Book,  c  I  sleep,  but  my 
heart  waketh,'  looking  upon  the  future  that  is  to  come,  and  pow 
erless  in  every  thing  except  to  pray  to  Almighty  God,  who  rules 
the  destinies  of  nations,  that  those  who  have  the  power  may  at 
least  have  the  grace  given  them  to  preserve  the  constitutional 
principles  which  we  have  endeavored  to  maintain.  And,  sir,  were 
it  my  privilege  to  speak  in  the  hearing  of  the  entire  nation,  I 
would  utter  with  the  profoundest  emphasis  this  pregnant  truth : 
that  no  people  ever  traversed  those  moral  ideas  which  underlie 
its  character,  its  constitution,  its  institutions,  and  its  laws,  that 
did  not  in  the  end  perish  in  disaster,  in  shame,  and  in  dishonor. 
Whatever  be  the  glory,  the  material  civilization,  of  which  such  a 
nation  may  boast,  it  still  holds  true  that  the  truth  is  immortal, 
and  that  ideas  rule  the  world. 


530  APPENDIX.. 

"  And  now  I  have  but  a  single  word  to  say,  and  that  is,  that 
the  grave  of  this  noble  hero  is  bedewed  with  the  most  tender 
and  sacred  tears  ever  shed  upon  a  human  tomb.  I  .was  thinking 
in  my  study  this  afternoon,  striving  to  strike  out  something  I 
might  utter  on  this  platform,  and  this  parallel  between  the  first 
Washington  and  the  second  occurred  to  me.  I  asked  my  own 
heart  the  question, '  Would  you  not  accept  the  fame  and  the  glory 
and  the  career  of  Robert  E.  Lee  just  as  soon  as  accept  the  glory 
and  career  of  the  immortal  man  who  was  his  predecessor  ?  '  Sir, 
there  is  a  pathos  in  fallen  fortunes  which  stirs  the  sensibilities, 
and  touches  the  very  fountain  of  human  feeling.  I  am  not  sure 
that  at  this  moment  Napoleon,  the  enforced  guest  of  the  Prus 
sian  king,  is  not  grander  than  when  he  ascended  the  throne 
of  France.  There  is  a  grandeur  in  misfortune  when  that  misfor 
tune  is  borne  by  a  noble  heart,  with  the  strength  of  will  to  en 
dure,  and  endure  without  complaining  or  breaking.  Perhaps  I 
slip  easily  into  this  train  of  remarks,  for  it  is  my  peculiar  office  to 
speak  of  that  chastening  with  which  a  gracious  Providence  visits 
men  on  this  earth,  and  by  which  He  prepares  them  for  heaven 
hereafter ;  and  what  is  true  of  individuals  in  a  state  of  adversity, 
is  true  of  nations  when  clothed  in  sorrow.  Sir,  the  men  in  these 
galleries  that  once  wore  the  gray  are  here  to-night  that  they 
may  bend  the  knee  in  reverence  at  the  grave  of  him  whose  voice 
and  hand  they  obeyed  amid  the  storms  of  battle :  the  young 
widow,  who  but  as  yesterday  leaned  upon  the  arm  of  her  soldier- 
husband,  but  now  clasps  wildly  to  her  breast  the  young  child 
that  never  beheld  its  father's  face,  comes  here  to  shed  her  tears 
over  this  grave  to-night;  and  the  aged  matron,  with  the  tears 
streaming  from  her  eyes  as  she  recalls  her  unforgotten  dead, 
lying  on  the  plains  of  Gettysburg,  or  on  the  heights  of  Fred- 
ericksburg,  now,  to-night,  joins  in  our  dirge  over  him  who  was 
that  son's  chieftain  and  counsellor  and  friend.  A  whole  nation 
has  risen  up  in  the  spontaneity  of  its  grief  to  render  the  tribute 
of  its  love.  Sir,  there  is  a  unity  in  the  grapes  when  they  grow 
together  in  the  clusters  upon  the  vine,  and  holding  the  bunch  in 
your  hand  you  speak  of  it  as  one ;  but  there  is  another  unit}1 
when  you  throw  these  grapes  into  the  wine-press,  and  the  feet 
of  those  that  bruise  these  grapes  trample  them  almost  profanely 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  531 

beneath  their  feet  together  in  the  communion  of  pure  wine ;  and 
such  is  the  union  and  communion  of  hearts  that  have  been  fused 
by  tribulation  and  sorrow,  and  that  meet  together  in  the  true 
feeling  of  an  honest  grief  to  express  the  homage  of  their  affec 
tion,  as  well  as  to  render  a  tribute  of  praise  to  him  upon  whose 
face  we  shall  never  look  until  on  that  immortal  day  when  we 
shall  behold  it  transfigured  before  the  throne  of  God." 

The  meeting  then  adopted  the  following  preamble  and  reso 
lutions  : 

"  Whereas,  Like  orphans  at  the  grave  of  a  parent  untimely 
snatched  away,  our  hearts  have  lingered  and  brooded,  with  a 
grief  that  no  cunning  of  speech  could  interpret,  over  the  thought 
that  Robert  Edward  Lee  exists  no  more,  in  bodily  life,  in  sensi 
ble  form,  in  visible  presence,  for  our  love  and  veneration,  for  our 
edification  and  guidance,  for  our  comfort  and  solace ;  and — 

"  Whereas,  We  have  invoked  all  mute  funeral  emblems  to 
aid  us  with  their  utmost  eloquence  of  woe,  and  we  cannot  con 
tent  ourselves  with  contemplating,  from  the  depth  and  the  gloom 
of  our  bereavement,  the  exalted  and  radiant  virtues  of  the  dead : 

"  Resolved,  That  we,  the  people  of  New  Orleans,  have  come 
together  under  one  common  impulse  to  render  united  homage  to 
the  memory  which  holds  mastery  in  our  minds,  whether  we  turn 
with  bitter  regard  to  the  past,  or  with  prayerful  and  chastened 
aspirations  to  the  future. 

"  Resolved,  That  as  Louisianians,  as  Southerners,  as  Ameri 
cans,  we  proudly  claim  our  share  in  the  fame  of  Lee  as  an  inher 
itance  rightfully  belonging  to  us,  and  endowed  with  which  we 
shall  piously  cherish,  though  all  calamities  should  rain  upon  us, 
true  poverty — the  poverty  indeed  that  abases  and  starves  the 
spirit  can  never  approach  us  with  its  noisome  breath  and  wither 
ing  look. 

"  Resolved,  That  it  is  infinitely  more  bitter  to  have  to  mourt 
the  loss  of  our  Lee,  than  not  to  have  learned  to  prize  him  as  the 
noblest  gift  which  could  have  been  allotted  to  a  people  and  an 
epoch ;  a  grand  man,  rounded  to  the  symmetry  of  equal  moral 
and  intellectual  powers,  graces,  and  accomplishments;  a  man 
whose  masterly  and  heroic  energy  left  nothing  undone  in  de- 


532  APPENDIX. 

fending  a  just  cause  while  there  was  a  possibility  of  striking 
for  it  a  rational  and  hopeful  blow,  and  whose  sublime  resignation 
when  the  last  blow  was  struck  in  vain,  and  when  human  virtue 
was  challenged  to  match  itself  with  the  consummation  of  human 
adversity,  taught  wiser,  more  convincing,  more  reassuring,  more 
soul-sustaining  lessons  than  were  to  be  found  in  all  the  philoso 
phies  of  all  books. 

"  Resolved,  That  worthily  to  show  our  veneration  for  this 
majestic  and  beautiful  character,  we  must  revolve  it  habitually 
in  our  thoughts,  and  try  to  appropriate  it  to  the  purification  and 
elevation  of  our  lives,  and  so  educate  our  children  that  they  shall, 
if  possible,  grow  up  into  its  likeness. 

"  JResolved,  That  while  it  is  honorable  for  a  people  to  deeply 
lament  the  death  of  such  a  man,  it  would  be  glorious  for  a  gen 
eration  to  mould  itself  after  his  model ;  for  it  would  be  a  genera 
tion  fraught  with  all  high  manly  qualities,  tempered  with  all 
gentle  and  Christian  virtues;  for  truth,  love,  goodness,  health, 
strength,  would  be  with  it,  and  consequently  victory,  liberty, 
majesty,  and  beauty. 

"  JResolved,  That  we  would  hail  the  erection  of  the  proposed 
monument  as  well  adapted  to  the  purpose*  of  preserving  this 
admirable  and  most  precious  memory  as  a  vital  and  beneficent 
influence  for  all  time  to  come,  and  we  will  therefore  cordially 
aid  in  promoting  the  Lee  Monument  which  has  just  been  inau 
gurated." 

ATLANTA,   GA. 

A  crowded  meeting  assembled  in  this  city  on  October  15th. 
After  an  impressive  prayer  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brantly,  the  meet 
ing  was  addressed  by 

GENEBAL  JOHN  B.  GOEDON. 

"  My  Friends :  We  have  met  to  weep,  to  mingle  our  tears 
and  give  vent  to  our  bursting  hearts.  The  sorrowing  South, 
already  clad  in  mourners'  weeds,  bows  her  head  afresh  to-day  in 
a  heart-stricken  orphanage ;  and  if  I  could  have  been  permitted 
to  indulge  the  sensibilities  of  my  heart,  I  would  have  fled  this 
most  honorable  task,  and  in  solitude  and  silence  have  wept  the 


TRIBUTES   TO   GENERAL  LEE.  533 

loss  of  the  great  and  good  man  whose  death  we  so  deplore.  I 
loved  General  Lee ;  for  it  was  my  proud  privilege  to  know  him 
well.  I  loved  him  with  a  profound  and  all-filial  love,  with  a  sin 
cere  and  unfaded  affection.  I  say  I  would  have  retired  from  this 
flattering  task  which  your  kindness  has  imposed,  but  remember 
ing  that  his  words,  his  deeds,  his  great  example,  has  taught  us 
that  duty  was  the  most  commanding  obligation,  I  yield  this 
morning  to  your  wishes. 

"We  have  met  to  honor  General  Lee,  to  honor  him  dead 
whom  we  loved  while  living.  Honor  General  Lee !  How  ut 
terly  vain,  what  a  mockery  of  language  do  these  words  seem ! 
Honor  Lee!  Why,  my  countrymen,  his  deeds  have  honored 
him !  The  very  trump  of  Fame  itself  is  proud  to  honor  him ! 
Europe  and  the  civilized  world  have  united  to  honor  him  su 
premely,  and  History  itself  has  caught  the  echo  and  made  it  im 
mortal.  Honor  Lee !  Why,  sir,  as  the  sad  news  of  his  death  is 
with  the  speed  of  thought  communicated  to  the  world,  it  will 
carry  a  pang  even  to  the  hearts  of  marshals  and  of  monarchs ; 
and  I  can  easily  fancy  that,  amid  the  din  and  clash  and  car 
nage  of  war,  the  cannon  itself,  in  mute  pause  at  the  whispering 
news,  will  briefly  cease  its  roar  around  the  walls  of  Paris.  The 
task  is  not  without  pain,  while  yet  his  manly  frame  lies  stretched 
upon  his  bier,  to  attempt  to  analyze  the  elements  that  made  him 
truly  great.  It  has  been  my  fortune  in  life  from  circumstances 
to  have  come  in  contact  with  some  whom  the  world  pronounced 
great — some  of  the  earth's  celebrated  and  distinguished ;  but  I 
declare  it  here  to-day  that,  of  any  mortal  man  whom  it  has  ever 
been  my  privilege  to  approach,  he  was  the  greatest ;  and  I  assert 
here  that,  grand  as  might  be  your  conceptions  of  the  man  before, 
he  arose  in  incomparable  majesty  on  more  familiar  acquaintance. 
This  can  be  affirmed  of  few  men  who  have  ever  lived  or  died,  and 
of  no  other  man  whom  it  has  ever  been  my  fortune  to  approach. 
Like  Niagara,  the  more  you  gazed  the  more  his  grandeur  grew 
upon  you,  the  more  his  majesty  expanded  and  filled  your  spirit 
with  a  full  satisfaction  that  left  a  perfect  delight  without  the 
slightest  feeling  of  oppression.  Grandly  majestic  and  dignified 
in  all  his  deportment,  he  was  genial  as  the  sunlight  of  this  beau 
tiful  day,  and  not  a  ray  of  that  cordial,  social  intercourse  but 


534:  APPENDIX. 

brought    warmth   to  the   heart  as   it   did  light  to   the   under, 
standing. 

"  But  as  one  of  the  great  captains  will  General  Lee  first  pass 
review  and  inspection  before  the  criticism  of  history.  We  will 
not  compare  him  with  Washington.  The  mind  will  halt  instinc 
tively  at  the  comparison  of  two  such  men,  so  equally  and  glori 
ously  great.  But  with  modest,  yet  calm  and  unflinching  confi 
dence  we  place  him  by  the  side  of  the  Marlboroughs  and  Wel 
lingtons  who  take  high  niches  in  the  pantheon  of  immortality. 
Let  us  dwell  for  a  moment,  my  friends,  on  this  thought.  Marl- 
borough  never  met  defeat,  it  is  true.  Victory  marked  every  step 
of  his  triumphant  march ;  but  when,  where,  and  whom  did  Marl- 
borough  fight?  The  ambitious  and  vain  but  able  Louis  XIV. 
But  he  had  already  exhausted  the  resources  of  his  kingdom  be 
fore  Marlborough  stepped  upon  the  stage.  The  great  marshals 
Turenne  and  Cond6  were  no  more,  and  Luxembourg  the  beloved 
had  vanished  from  the  scene.  Marlborough,  preeminently  great 
as  he  certainly  was,  nevertheless  led  the  combined  forces  of  Eng 
land  and  of  Holland,  in  the  freshness  of  their  strength  and  the 
fulness  of  their  financial  ability,  against  prostrate  France,  with  a 
treasury  depleted,  a  people  worn  out,  ^'scouraged,  a-  "  Jected. 
But  let  us  turn  to  another  comparison. ' ,oTie  great  Von  Moltke, 
who  now  rides  upon  the  whirlwind  and  commands  the  storm  of 
Prussian  invasion,  has  recently  declared  that  General  Lee,  in  all 
respects,  was  fully  the  equal  of  Wellington,  and  you  may  the 
better  appreciate  this  admission  when  you  remember  that  Wel 
lington  was  the  benefactor  of  Prussia,  and  probably  Von  Moltke's 
special  idol.  But  let  us  examine  the  arguments  ourselves. 
France  was  already  prostrate  when  Wellington  met  Napoleon. 
That  great  emperor  had  seemed  to  make  war  upon  the  very  ele 
ments  themselves,  to  have  contended  with  Nature,  and  to  have 
almost  defeated  Providence  itself.  The  enemies  of  the  North, 
more  savage  than  Goth  or  Vandal,  mounting  the  swift  gales  of.  a 
Russian  winter,  had  carried  death,  desolation,  and  ruin,  to  the 
very  gates  of  Paris.  Wellington  fought  at  Waterloo  a  bleeding 
and  broken  nation — a  nation  electrified,  it  is  true,  to  almost  su 
perhuman  energy  by  the  genius  of  Napoleon,  but  a  nation  pros 
trate  and  bleeding  nevertheless.  Compare  this,  my  friends,  the 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  535 

condition  of  France  and  the  condition  of  the  United  States,  in  the 
freshness  of  her  strength,  in  the  luxuriance  of  her  resources,  in 
the  lustihood  of  her  gigantic  youth.  Tell  me  whether  to  place 
the  chaplet  of  military  superiority  with  him,  or  with  Marlborough, 
or  Wellington?  Even  the  greatest  of  captains,  in  his  Italian 
campaigns,  flashing  fame  in  lightning  splendor  over  the  world, 
even  Bonaparte  met  and  crushed  in  battle  but  three  or  four  (I 
think)  Austrian  armies;  while  our  Lee,  with  one  army  badly 
equipped,  in  time  incredibly  short,  met  and  hurled  back  in  broken 
and  s*  attered  fragments  five  of  the  greatest  prepared  and  most 
magnificently  appointed  invasions.  Yea,  more !  He  discrowned, 
in  rapid  succession,  one  after  another  of  the  United  States'  most 
accomplished  and  admirable  commanders. 

"  Lee  was  never  really  defeated.  Lee  could  not  be  defeated  ! 
Overp  :>wered,  foiled  in  his  efforts,  he  might  be ;  but  never  de 
feated  until  the  props  which  supported  him  gave  way.  Never, 
until  the  platform  sank  beneath  him,  did  any  enemy  ever  dare 
pursue.  On  that  melancholy  occasion,  the  downfall  of  the  Con 
federacy,  no  Leipsic,  no  Waterloo,  no  Sedan,  can  ever  be  re 
corded. 

"  G°"  *,1  Lee  is  kno^Tja  to  the  world  as  a  military  man  ;  but 
it  is  easj  cO  divine  frt,  his  history  how  mindful  of  all  just 
authority,  how  observant  of  all  constitutional  restriction,  would 
have  been  his  career  as  a  civilian.  When,  near  the  conclusion  of 
the  war,  darkness  was  thickening  about  the  falling  fortunes  of 
the  Confederacy,  when  its  very  life  was  in  the  sword  of  Lee,  it 
was  my  proud  privilege  to  know  with  a  special  admiration  the 
modest  demeanor,  the  manly  decorum,  respectful  homage,  which 
marked  all  his  dealings  with  the  constituted  authorities  of  his 
country.  Clothed  with  all  power,  he  hid  its  very  symbol  behind 
a  genial  modesty,  and  refused  ever  to  exert  it  save  in  obedience 
to  law.  And  even  in  his  triumphant  entry  into  the  territory  of 
the  enemy,  so  regardful  was  he  of  civilized  warfare,  that  the  ob 
servance  of  his  general  orders  as  to  private  property  and  private 
rights  left  the  line  of  his  march  marked  and  marred  by  no  de 
vastated  fields,  charred  ruins,  or  desolated  homes.  But  it  is  in 
his  private  character,  or  rather  I  should  say  his  personal  emotion 
and  virtue,  whioh  his  countrymen  will  most  delight  to  consider 


536  APPENDIX. 

and  dwell  upon.  Ills  magnanimity,  transcending  all  historic  pre 
cedent,  seemed  to  form  a  new  chapter  in  the  book  of  humanity. 
Witness  that  letter  to  Jackson,  after  his  wounds  at  Chancellors- 
ville,  in  which  he  said  :  '  I  am  praying  for  you  with  more  fervor 
than  I  have  ever  prayed  for  myself ; '  and  that  other,  more  disin 
terested  and  pathetic :  '  I  could,  for  the  good  of  my  country, 
wish  that  the  wounds  which  you  have  received  had  been  in 
flicted  upon  my  own  body ; '  or  that  of  the  latter  message,  say 
ing  to  General  Jackson  that '  his  wounds  were  not  so  severe  as 
mine,  for  he  loses  but  his  left  arm,  while  I,  in  my  loss,  lose  my 
right ; '  or  that  other  expression  of  unequalled  magnanimity 
which  enabled  him  to  ascribe  the  glory  of  their  joint  victory  to 
the  sole  credit  of  the  dying  hero.  Did  I  say  unequalled  ?  Yes, 
that  was  an  avowal  of  unequalled  magnanimity,  until  it  met  its 
parallel  in  his  own  grander  self-negation  in  assuming  the  sole 
responsibility  for  the  defeat  at  Gettysburg.  Ay,  my  country 
men,  Alexander  had  his  Arbela,  Cassar  his  Pharsalia,  Napoleon 
his  Austerlitz ;  but  it  was  reserved  for  Lee  to  grow  grander  and 
more  illustrious  in  defeat  than  even  in  victory — grander,  because 
in  defeat  he  showed  a  spirit  greater  than  in  the  heroism  of 
battles  or  all  the  achievements  of  war,  a  spirit  which  crowns 
him  with  a  chaplet  grander  far  than  ever  mighty  conqueror 
wore. 

"  I  turn  me  now  to  that  last  closing  scene  at  Appomattox, 
and  I  will  draw  thence  a  picture  of  that  man  as  he  laid  aside  the 
sword,  the  unrivalled  soldier,  to  become  the  most  exemplary  of 
citizens. 

"  I  can  never  forget  the  deferential  homage  paid  this  great 
citizen  by  even  the  Federal  soldiers,  as  with  uncovered  heads 
they  contemplated  in  mute  admiration  this  now  captive  hero  as 
he  rode  through  their  ranks.  Impressed  forever,  daguerreotyped 
on  my  heart  is  that  last  parting  scene  with  that  handful  of  heroes 
still  crowding  around  him.  Few  indeed  were  the  words  then 
spoken,  but  the  quivering  lip  and  the  tearful  eye  told  of  the  love 
they  bore  him,  in  symphonies  more  eloquent  than  any  language 
can  describe.  Can  I  ever  forget  ?  No,  never  can  I  forget  the 
words  which  fell  from  his  lips  as  I  rode  beside  him  amid  the 
defeated,  dejected,  and  weeping  soldiery,  when,  turning  to  me, 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL   LEE.  537 

he  said,  *  I  could  wish  that  I  was  numbered  among  the  fallen  in 
the  last  battle  ; '  but  oh !  as  he  thought  of  the  loss  of  the  cause — 
of  the  many  dead  scattered  over  so  many  fields,  who,  sleeping 
neglected,  with  no  governmental  arms  to  gather  up  their  re 
mains — sleeping  neglected,  isolated,  and  alone,  beneath  the  weep 
ing  stars,  with  naught  but  their  soldiers'  blankets  about  them  ! — 
oh  !  as  these  emotions  swept  over  his  great  soul,  he  felt  that  he 
would  have  laid  him  down  to  rest  in  the  same  grave  where  lay 
buried  the  common  hope  of  his  people.  But  Providence  willed 
it  otherwise.  He  rests  now  forever,  my  countrymen,  his  spirit 
in  the  bosom  of  that  Father  whom  he  so  faithfully  served,  his 
body  beside  the  river  whose  banks  are  forever  memorable,  and 
whose  waters  are  vocal  with  the  glories  of  his  triumphs.  No 
sound  shall  ever  wake  him  to  martial  glory  again  ;  no  more  shall 
he  lead  his  invincible  lines  to  victory ;  no  more  shall  we  gaze 
upon  him  and  draw  from  his  quiet  demeanor  lessons  of  life.  But 
oh  !  it  is  a  sweet  consolation  to  us,  my  countrymen,  who  loved 
him,  that  no  more  shall  his  bright  spirit  be  bowed  down  to  earth 
with  the  burdens  of  the  people's  wrongs.  It  is  sweet  consola 
tion  to  us  that  his  last  victory,  through  faith  in  his  crucified  Re 
deemer,  is  the  most  transcendently  glorious  of  all  his  triumphs. 
At  this  very  hour,  while  we  mourn  here,  kind  friends  are  con 
signing  the  last  that  remains  of  our  hero  to  his  quiet  sleeping- 
place,  surrounded  by  the  mountains  of  his  native  State — moun 
tains  the  autumnal  glory  of  whose  magnificent  forests  to-day 
seem  but  habiliments  of  mourning.  In  the  Valley,  the  pearly 
dew-drops  seem  but  tears  of  sadness  upon  the  grasses  and  flow 
ers.  Let  him  rest !  And  now  as  he  has  gone  from  us,  and  as 
we  regard  him  in  all  the  aspects  of  his  career  and  character  and 
attainments  as  a  great  captain,  ranking  among  the  first  of  any 
age  ;  as  a  patriot,  whose  sacrificing  devotion  to  his  country  ranks 
him  with  Washington ;  as  a  Christian,  like  Havelock,  recogniz 
ing  his  duty  to  his  God  above  every  other  earthly  consideration, 
with  a  native  modesty  that  refused  to  appropriate  the  glory  of 
his  own,  and  which  surrounds  now  his  entire  character  and  career 
with  a  halo  of  unfading  light ;  with  an  integrity  of  life  and  a 
sacred  regard  for  truth  which  no  man  dare  assail ;  with  a  fidelity 
to  principle  which  no  misfortune  could  shake — he  must  ever  stand 


538  APPENDIX. 

peerless  among  men  in  the  estimation  of  Christendom,  this  repre 
sentative  son  of  the  South,  Robert  E.  Lee,  of  Virginia." 

RICHMOND,   VA. 

A  meeting  was  held  on  November  3d,  presided  over  by  Mr. 
Jefferson  Davis.  Mr.  Davis  delivered  an  address,  of  which  we 
regret  that  we  have  received  no  complete  copy.  We  give  it  as 
reported  in  the  Richmond  Dispatch. 

REMARKS  OF  PRESIDENT  DAVIS. 

As  Mr.  Davis  arose  to  walk  to  the  stand,  every  person  in  the 
house  stood,  and  there  followed  such  a  storm  of  applause  as 
seemed  to  shake  the  very  foundations  of  the  building,  while 
cheer  upon  cheer  was  echoed  from  the  throats  of  veterans  salut 
ing  one  whom  they  delighted  to  honor. 

Mr.  Davis  spoke  at  length,  and  with  his  accustomed  thrilling, 
moving  eloquence.  We  shall  not  attempt,  at  the  late  hour  at 
which  we  write,  to  give  a  full  report  of  his  address. 

He  addressed  his  hearers  as  "  Soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  Con 
federacy,  comrades  and  friends :  Assembled  on  this  sad  occasion, 
with  hearts  oppressed  with  the  grief  that  follows  the  loss  of  him 
who  was  our  leader  on  many  a  bloody  battle-field,  a  pleasing 
though  melancholy  spectacle  is  presented.  Hitherto,  and  in  all 
times,  men  have  been  honored  when  successful ;  but  here  is  the 
case  of  one  who  amid  disaster  went  down  to  his  grave,  and  those 
who  were  his  companions  in  misfortune  have  assembled  to  honor 
his  memory.  It  is  as  much  an  honor  to  you  who  give  as  to  him 
who  receives  ;  for,  above  the  vulgar  test  of  merit,  you  show  your 
selves  competent  to  discriminate  between  him  who  enjoys  and 
him  who  deserves  success. 

"  Robert  E.  Lee  was  my  associate  and  friend  in  the  Military 
Academy,  and  we  were  friends  until  the  hour  of  his  death.  We 
were  associates  and  friends  when  he  was  a  soldier  and  I  a  Con 
gressman  ;  and  associates  and  friends  when  he  led  the  armies  of 
the  Confederacy  and  I  presided  in  its  cabinet.  We  passed 
through  many  sad  scenes  together,  but  I  cannot  remember  that 
there  was  ever  aught  but  perfect  harmony  between  us.  If  ever 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  539 

there  was  difference  of  opinion,  it  was  dissipated  by  discussion, 
and  harmony  was  the  result.  I  repeat,  we  never  disagreed;  and 
I  may  add  that  I  never  in  my  life  saw  in  him  the  slightest  ten 
dency  to  self-seeking.  It  was  not  his  to  make  a  record,  it  was 
not  his  to  shift  blame  to  other  shoulders ;  but  it  was  his,  with  an 
eye  fixed  upon  the  welfare  of  his  country,  never  faltering,  to  fol 
low  the  line  of  duty  to  the  end.  His  was  the  heart  that  braved 
every  difficulty ;  his  was  the  mind  that  wrought  victory  out  of 
defeat. 

"He  has  been  charged  with  *  want  of  dash.'  I  wish  to  say 
that  I  never  knew  Lee  to  falter  to  attempt  any  thing  ever  man 
could  dare.  An  attempt  has  also  been  made  to  throw  a  cloud 
upon  his  character  because  he  left  the  Army  of  the  United  States 
to  join  in  the  struggle  for  the  liberty  of  his  State.  Without 
trenching  at  all  upon  politics,  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  say  one  word 
in  reference  to  this  charge.  Virginian  born,  descended  from  a 
family  illustrious  in  Virginia's  annals,  given  by  Virginia  to  the 
service  of  the  United  States,  he  represented  her  in  the  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point.  He  was  not  educated  by  the  Federal 
Government,  but  by  Virginia ;  for  she  paid  her  full  share  for  the 
support  of  that  institution,  and  was  entitled  to  demand  in  return 
the  services  of  her  sons.  Entering  the  Army  of  the  United  States, 
he  represented  Virginia  there  also,  and  nobly.  On  many  a  hard- 
fought  field  Lee  was  conspicuous,  battling  for  his  native  State  as 
much  as  for  the  Union.  He  came  from  Mexico  crowned  with 
honors,  covered  by  brevets,  and  recognized,  young  as  he  was,  as 
one  of  the  ablest  of  his  country's  soldiers.  And,  to  prove  that  he 
was  estimated  then  as  such,  let  me  tell  you  that  when  Lee  was  a 
captain  of  engineers  stationed  in  Baltimore,  the  Cuban  Junta  in 
New  York  selected  him  to  be  their  leader  in  the  struggle  for  the 
independence  of  their  native  country.  They  were  anxious  to 
secure  his  services,  and  offered  him  every  temptation  that  ambi 
tion  could  desire.  He  thought  the  matter  over,  and,  I  remember, 
came  to  Washington  to  consult  me  as  to  what  he  should  do ;  and 
when  I  began  to  discuss  the  complications  which  might  arise  from 
his  acceptance  of  the  trust,  he  gently  rebuked  me,  saying  that 
this  was  not  the  line  upon  which  he  wished  my  advice :  the  sim 
ple  question  was,  '  Whether  it  was  right  or  not  ?  '  He  had  been 


54:0  APPENDIX. 

educated  by  the  United  States,  and  felt  wrong  to  accept  a  place 
in  the  army  of  a  foreign  power.  Such  was  his  extreme  delicacy, 
such  was  the  nice  sense  of  honor  of  the  gallant  gentleman  whose 
death  we  deplore.  But  when  Virginia  withdrew,  the  State  to 
whom  he  owed  his  first  and  last  allegiance,  the  same  nice  sense 
of  honor  led  him  to  draw  his  sword  and  throw  it  in  the  scale  for 
good  or  for  evil.  Pardon  me  for  this  brief  defence  of  my  illus 
trious  friend. 

"When  Virginia  joined  the  Confederacy,  Robert  Lee,  the 
highest  officer  in  the  little  army  of  Virginia,  came  to  Richmond ; 
and,  not  pausing  to  inquire  what  would  be  his  rank  in  the  service 
of  the  Confederacy,  went  to  Western  Virginia  under  the  belief 
that  he  was  still  an  officer  of  the  State.  He  came  back,  carrying 
the  heavy  weight  of  defeat,  and  unappreciated  by  the  people 
whom  he  served,  for  they  could  not  know,  as  I  knew,  that  if  his 
plans  and  orders  had  been  carried  out  the  result  would  have  been 
victory  rather  than  retreat.  You  did  not  know,  for  I  would  not 
have  known  it  had  he  not  breathed  it  in  my  ear  only  at  my  ear 
nest  request,  and  begging  that  nothing  be  said  about  it.  The 
clamor  which  then  arose  followed  him  when  he  went  to  South 
Carolina,  so  that  it  became  necessary  on  his  going  to  South  Caro 
lina  to  write  a  letter  to  the  Governor  of  that  State,  telling  him 
what  manner  of  man  he  was.  Yet,  through  all  this,  with  a  mag 
nanimity  rarely  equalled,  he  stood  in  silence  without  defending 
himself  or  allowing  others  to  defend  him,  for  he  was  unwilling  to 
offend  any  one  who  was  wearing  a  sword  and  striking  blows  for 
the  Confederacy/' 

Mr.  Davis  then  spoke  of  the  straits  to  which  the  Confederacy 
was  reduced,  and  of  the  danger  to  which  her  capital  was  exposed, 
just  after  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines,  and  told  how  General  Lee 
had  conceived  and  executed  the  desperate  plan  to  turn  their  flank 
and  rear,  which,  after  seven  days  of  bloody  battle,  was  crowned 
with  the  protection  of  Richmond,  while  the  enemy  was  driven 
far  from  the  city. 

The  speaker  referred  also  to  the  circumstances  attending 
General  Lee's  crossing  the  Potomac  on  the  march  into  Pennsyl 
vania.  He  (Mr.  Davis)  assumed  the  responsibility  of  that  move 
ment.  The  enemy  had  long  been  concentrating  his  force,  and  it 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  54.} 

was  evident  that  if  he  continued  his  steady  progress  the 
Confederacy  would  be  overwhelmed.  Our  only  hope  was  to 
drive  him  to  the  defence  of  his  own  capital,  we  being  enabled 
in  the  mean  time  to  reenforce  our  shattered  army.  How  well 
General  Lee  carried  out  that  dangerous  experiment  need  not  be 
told.  Richmond  was  relieved,  the  Confederacy  was  relieved,  and 
time  was  obtained,  if  other  things  had  favored,  to  reenforce  the 
army. 

"  But,"  said  Mr.  Davis,  "  I  shall  not  attempt  to  review  the 
military  career  of  our  fallen  chieftain.  Of  the  man,  how  shall  I 
speak  ?  He  was  my  friend,  and  in  that  word  is  included  all  that 
I  could  say  of  any  man.  His  moral  qualities  rose  to  the  height 
of  his  genius.  Self-denying;  always  intent  upon  the  one  idea 
of  duty ;  self-controlled  to  an  extent  that  many  thought  him  cold, 
his  feelings  were  really  warm,  and  his  heart  melted  freely  at  the 
sight  of  a  wounded  soldier,  or  the  story  of  the  sufferings  of  the 
widow  and  orphan.  During  the  war  he  was  ever  conscious  of 
the  inequality  of  the  means  at  his  control ;  but  it  was  never  his 
to  complain  or  to  utter  a  doubt ;  it  was  always  his  to  do.  When, 
in  the  last  campaign,  he  was  beleaguered  at  Petersburg,  and  pain 
fully  aware  of  the  straits  to  which  we  were  reduced,  he  said: 
'With  my  army  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia,  I  could  carry 
on  this  war  for  twenty  years  longer.'  His  men  exhausted,  and 
his  supplies  failing,  he  was  unable  to  carry  out  his  plans.  An 
untoward  event  caused  him  to  anticipate  the  movement,  and  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  was  overwhelmed.  But,  in  the  sur 
render,  he  anticipated  conditions  that  have  not  been  fulfilled ;  he 
expected  his  army  to  be  respected,  and  his  paroled  soldiers  to  be 
allowed  the  enjoyments  of  life  and  property.  Whether  these 
conditions  have  been  fulfilled,  let  others  say. 

"  Here  he  now  sleeps  in  the  land  he  loved  so  well ;  and  that 
land  is  not  Virginia  only,  for  they  do  injustice  to  Lee  who  believe 
he  fought  only  for  Virginia.  He  was  ready  to  go  anywhere,  on 
any  service,  for  the  good  of  his  country ;  and  his  heart  was  as 
broad  as  the  fifteen  States  struggling  for  the  principles  that  our 
forefathers  fought  for  in  the  Revolution  of  1776.  He  is  sleeping 
in  the  same  soil  with  the  thousands  who  fought  under  the  same 
flag,  but  first  offered  up  their  lives.  Here,  the  living  are  assem- 


54:2  APPENDIX. 

bled  to  honor  his  memory,  and  there  the  skeleton  sentinels  keep 
watch  over  his  grave.  This  citizen,  this  soldier,  this  great 
general,  this  true  patriot,  left  behind  him  the  crowning  glory 
of  a  true  Christian.  His  Christianity  ennobled  him  in  life,  and 
affords  us  grounds  for  the  belief  that  he  is  happy  beyond  the 
grave. 

"  But,  while  we  mourn  the  loss  of  the  great  and  the  true, 
drop  we  also  tears  of  sympathy  with  her  who  was  his  helpmeet — 
the  noble  woman  who,  while  her  husband  was  in  the  field  lead 
ing  the  army  of  the  Confederacy,  though  an  invalid  herself, 
passed  the  time  in  knitting  socks  for  the  marching  soldiers  !  A 
woman  fit  to  be  the  mother  of  heroes ;  and  heroes  are  descended 
from  her.  Mourning  with  her,  we  can  only  offer  the  consolation 
of  a  Christian.  Our  loss  is  not  his ;  but  he  now  enjoys  the  re 
wards  of  a  life  well  spent,  and  a  never-wavering  trust  in  a  risen 
Saviour.  This  day  we  unite  our  words  of  sorrow  with  those  of 
the  good  and  great  throughout  Christendom,  for  his  fame  is  gone 
over  the  water;  his  deeds  will  be  remembered,  and  when  the 
monument  we  build  shall  have  crumbled  into  dust,  his  virtues 
will  still  live,  a  high  model  for  the  imitation  of  generations  yet 
unborn." 

We  have  given  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  eloquent  thoughts  and 
chaste  oratory  of  the  speaker.  His  words  were  heard  with  pro 
found  attention,  and  received  with  frequent  applause. 

MEMOEIAL  RESOLUTIONS. 

Colonel  C.  S.  Venable  then  presented  the  following  report  of 
the  Committee  on  Resolutions : 

"  Whereas,  It  is  a  high  and  holy  duty,  as  well  as  a  noble 
privilege,  to  perpetuate  the  honors  of  those  who  have  displayed 
eminent  virtues  and  performed  great  achievements,  that  they 
may  serve  as  incentives  and  examples  to  the  latest  generation  of 
their  countrymen,  and  attest  the  reverential  admiration  and  af 
fectionate  regard  of  their  compatriots ;  and — 

"  Whereas,  This  duty  and  privilege  devolve  on  all  who  love 
and  admire  General  Robert  E.  Lee  throughout  this  country  and 
the  world,  and  in  an  especial  manner  upon  those  who  followed 
him  in  the  field,  or  who  fought  in  the  same  cause,  who  shared 


TRIBUTES   TO   GENERAL   LEE.  543 

in  his  glories,  partook  of  his  trials,  and  were  united  with  him  in 
the  same  sorrows  and  adversity,  who  were  devoted  to  him  in  war 
by  the  baptism  of  fire  and  blood,  and  bound  to  him  in  peace  by 
the  still  higher  homage  due  to  the  rare  and  grand  exhibition 
of  a  character  pure  and  lofty  and  gentle  and  true,  under  all 
changes  of  fortune,  and  serene  amid  the  greatest  disasters : 
therefore,  be  it 

"  Resolved,  That  we  favor  an  association  to  erect  a  monu 
ment  at  Richmond  to  the  memory  of  Robert  E.  Lee,  as  an  en 
during  testimonial  of  our  love  and  respect,  and  devotion  to  his 
fame. 

"  Resolved,  That,  while  donations  will  be  gladly  received 
from  all  who  recognize  in  the  excellences  of  General  Lee's  char 
acter  an  honor  and  an  encouragement  to  our  common  humanity, 
and  an  abiding  hope  that  coming  generations  may  be  found  to 
imitate  his  virtues,  it  is  desirable  that  every  Confederate  soldier 
and  sailor  should  make  some  contribution,  however  small,  to  the 
proposed  monument. 

"  Resolved,  That,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  efficiency  and 
dispatch  in  the  erection  of  the  monument,  an  executive  com 
mittee  of  seventy-five,  with  a  president,  secretary,  treasurer, 
auditor,  etc.,  be  appointed,  to  invite  and  collect  subscriptions,  to 
procure  designs  for  said  monument,  to  select  the  best,  to  provide 
for  the  organization  of  central  executive  committees  in  other 
States,  which  may  serve  as  mediums  of  communication  between 
the  executive  committee  of  the  Association  and  the  local  associa 
tions  of  these  States. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  respectfully  invite  the  ladies  of  the 
Hollywood  Association  to  lend  us  their  assistance  and  coopera 
tion  in  the  collection  of  subscriptions. 

"Resolved,  That  we  cordially  approve  of  the  local  monu 
ment  now  proposed  to  be  erected  by  other  associations  at  Atlan 
ta,  and  at  Lexington,  his  last  home,  whose  people  were  so  close 
ly  united  with  him  in  the  last  sad  years  of  his  life. 

"Resolved,  That,  while  we  cordially  thank  the  Governor 
and  Legislature  of  Virginia,  for  the  steps  they  have  taken  to  do 
honor  to  the  memory  of  General  Lee,  yet  in  deference  to  the 
wishes  of  his  loved  and  venerated  widow,  with  whom  we  mourn, 


544  APPENDIX. 

we  will  not  discuss  the  question  of  the  most  fitting  resting-place 
for  his  ever-glorious  remains,  but  will  content  ourselves  with  ex 
pressing  the  earnest  desire  and  .hope  that  at  some  future  propei 
time  they  will  be  committed  to  the  charge  of  this  Association." 

Generals  John  S.  Preston,  John  B.  Gordon,  Henry  A.  Wise, 
and  William  Henry  Preston,  and  Colonels  Robert  E.  Withers  and 
Charles  Marshall,  delivered  eloquent  and  appropriate  speeches, 
and  argued  that  Richmond  is  the  proper  place  for  the  final  inter 
ment  of  the  remains  of  General  Lee. 

The  resolutions  were  adopted,  and  the  meeting  adiourned. 

COLUMBIA,  S.  C. 

At  a  meeting  in  this  city  the  following  remarks  were  made 
by- 

GENERAL  WADE  HAMPTON. 

"  Fellow-  Citizens :  We  are  called  together  to-day  by  an  an 
nouncement  which  will  cause  profound  sorrow  throughout  the 
civilized  world,  and  which  comes  to  us  bearing  the  additional 
grief  of  a  personal  and  private  bereavement.  The  foremost  man 
in  all  the  world  is  no  more ;  and,  as  that  news  is  carried  by  the 
speed  of  lightning  through  every  town,  village,  and  hamlet  of 
this  land  which  he  loved  so  well,  and  among  those  people  who 
loved  and  honored  and  venerated  him  so  profoundly,  every  true 
heart  in  the  stricken  South  will  feel  that  the  country  has  lost  its 
pride  and  glory,  and  that  the  citizens  of  that  country  have  lost  a 
father.  I  dare  not  venture  to  speak  of  him  as  I  feel.  Nor  do 
we  come  to  eulogize  him.  Not  only  wherever  the  English  lan 
guage  is  spoken,  but  wherever  civilization  extends,  the  sorrow — 
a  part  at  least  of  the  sorrow — we  feel  will  be  felt,  and  more 
eloquent  tongues  than  mine  will  tell  the  fame  and  recount  the 
virtues  of  Robert  E.  Lee.  We  need  not  come  to  praise  him. 
We  come  only  to  express  our  sympathy,  our  grief,  our  bereave 
ment.  We  come  not  to  mourn  him,  for  we  know  that  it  is  well 
with  him.  We  come  only  to  extend  our  sympathy  to  those  who 
are  bereaved. 

"  Now  that  he  is  fallen,  I  may  mention  what  I  have  never 
spoken  of  before,  to  show  you  not  only  what  were  the  feelings 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  54.5 

that  actuated  him  in  the  duty  to  which  his  beloved  countrymen 
called  him,  but  what  noble  sentiments  inspired  him  when  he  saw 
the  cause  for  which  he  had  been  fighting  so  long  about  to  perish. 
Just  before  the  surrender,  after  a  night  devoted  to  the  most 
arduous  duties,  as  one  of  his  staff  came  in  to  see  him  in  the  morn 
ing,  he  found  him  worn  and  weary  and  disheartened,  and  the 
general  said  to  him,  '  How  easily  I  could  get  rid  of  this  and  be 
at  rest !  I  have  only  to  ride  along  the  line,  and  all  will  be  over. 
But,'  said  he — and  there  spoke  the  Christian  patriot — £  it  is  our 
duty  to  live,  for  what  will  become  of  the  women  and  children  of 
the  South  if  we  are  not  here  to  protect  them  ? '  That  same  spirit 
of  duty  which  had  actuated  him  through  all  the  perils  and  all  the 
hardships  of  that  unequalled  conflict  which  he  had  waged  so 
heroically,  that  same  high  spirit  of  duty  told  him  that  he  must 
live  to  show  that  he  was  great — greater,  if  that  were  possible,  in 
peace  than  in  war ;  live  to  teach  the  people  whom  he  had  before 
led  to  victory  how  to  bear  defeat ;  live  to  show  what  a  great  and 
good  man  can  accomplish ;  live  to  set  an  example  to  his  people 
for  all  time ;  live  to  bear,  if  nothing  else,  his  share  of  the  sorrows, 
and  the  afflictions,  and  the  troubles,  which  had  come  upon  his 
people.  He  is  now  at  rest ;  and  surely  we  of  the  South  can  say 
of  him,  as  we  say  of  his  great  exemplar,  the  '  Father  of  his  Coun 
try,'  that  *  he  was  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen.' " 

BALTIMORE. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  who  served  under 
General  Lee,  held  in  this  city  on  October  15th,  a  number  of  ad 
dresses  were  made,  which  we  are  compelled  to  somewhat  con 
dense.  That  of  Colonel  Marshall,  General  Lee's  chief  of  staff, 
was  as  follows : 

COLONEL  CHARLES  MARSHALL. 

"  In  presenting  the  resolutions  of  the  committee,  I  cannot  re 
frain  from  expressing  the  feelings  inspired  by  the  memories  that 
crowd  upon  my  mind  when  I  reflect  that  these  resolutions  are  in 
tended  to  express  what  General  Lee's  surviving  soldiers  feel 
toward  General  Lee.  The  committee  are  fully  aware  of  their 


54:6  APPENDIX. 

inability  to  do  justice  to  the  sentiments  that  inspire  the  hearts 
of  those  for  whom  they  speak.  How  can  we  portray  in  words 
the  gratitude,  the  pride,  the  veneration,  the  anguish,  that  now 
fill  the  hearts  of  those  who  shared  his  victories  and  his  reverses, 
his  triumphs  and  his  defeats  ?  How  can  we  tell  the  world  what 
we  can  only  feel  ourselves  ?  How  can  we  give  expression  to  the 
crowding  memories  called  forth  by  the  sad  event  we  are  met  to 
deplore  ? 

"  We  recall  him  as  he  appeared  in  the  hour  of  victory,  grand, 
imposing,  awe-inspiring,  yet  self-forgetful  and  humble.  We  re 
call  the  great  scenes  of  his  triumph,  when  wTe  hailed  him  victor 
on  many  a  bloody  field,  and  when  above  the  pasans  of  victory  w^e 
listened  with  reverence  to  his  voice  as  he  ascribed  l  all  glory  to 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  from  whom  all  glories  are.'  We  remember 
that  grand  magnanimity  that  never  stooped  to  pluck  those 
meaner  things  that  grew  nearest  the  earth  upon  the  tree  of 
victory,  but  which,  with  eyes  turned  toward  the  stars,  and  hands 
raised  toward  heaven,  gathered  the  golden  fruits  of  mercy,  pity, 
and  holy  charity,  that  ripen  on  its  topmost  boughs  beneath  the 
approving  smile  of  the  great  God  of  battles.  We  remember  the 
sublime  self-abnegation  of  Chancellors ville,  when,  in  the  midst 
of  his  victorious  legions,  who,  with  the  light  of  battle  yet  on 
their  faces,  hailed  him  conqueror,  he  thought  only  of  his  great 
lieutenant  lying  wounded  on  the  field,  and  transferred  to  him  all 
the  honor  of  that  illustrious  day. 

"  I  will  be  pardoned,  I  am  sure,  for  referring  to  an  incident 
which  affords  to  my  mind  a  most  striking  illustration  of  one 
of  the  grandest  features  of  his  character.  On  the  morning  of 
May  3,  1863,  as  many  of  you  will  remember,  the  final  assault  was 
made  upon  the  Federal  lines  at  Chancellorsville.  General  Lee 
accompanied  the  troops  in  person,  and  as  they  emerged  from  the 
fierce  combat  they  had  waged  in  '  the  depths  of  that  tangled 
wilderness,'  driving  the  superior  forces  of  the  enemy  before  them 
across  the  open  ground,  he  rode  into  their  midst.  The  scene  is 
one  that  can  never  be  effaced  from  the  minds  of  those  who  wit 
nessed  it.  The  troops  were  pressing  forward  with  all  the  ardor 
and  enthusiasm  of  combat.  The  white  smoke  of  musketry  fringed 
the  front  of  the  line  of  battle,  while  the  artillery  on  the  hills  in 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  547 

the  rear  of  the  infantry  shook  the  earth  with  its  thunder,  and 
filled  the  air  with  the  wild  shrieks  of  the  shells  that  plunged  into 
the  masses  of  the  retreating  foe.  To  add  greater  horror  and  sub 
limity  to  the  scene,  the  Chancellorsville  House  and  the  woods 
surrounding  it  were  wrapped  in  flames.  In  the  midst  of  this 
awful  scene,  General  Lee,  mounted  upon  that  horse  which  we  all 
remember  so  well,  rode  to  the  front  of  his  advancing  battalions. 
His  presence  was  the  signal  for  one  of  those  uncontrollable  out 
bursts  of  enthusiasm  which  none  can  appreciate  who  have  not 
witnessed  them.  The  fierce  soldiers,  with  their  faces  blackened 
with  the  smoke  of  battle;  the  wounded,  crawling  with  feeble 
limbs  from  the  fury  of  the  devouring  flames,  all  seemed  possessed 
with  a  common  impulse.  One  long,  unbroken  cheer,  in  which 
the  feeble  cry  of  those  who  lay  helpless  on  the  earth  blended 
with  the  strong  voices  of  those  who  still  fought,  rose  high  above 
the  roar  of  battle  and  hailed  the  presence  of  the  victorious  chiei. 
He  sat  in  the  full  realization  of  all  that  soldiers  dream  of— tri 
umph  ;  and,  as  I  looked  upon  him  in  the  complete  fruition  of  the 
success  which  his  genius,  courage,  and  confidence  in  his  army,  had 
won,  I  thought  it  must  have  been  from  some  such  scene  that  men 
in  ancient  days  ascended  to  the  dignity  of  the  gods.  His  first 
care  was  for  the  wounded  of  both  armies,  and  he  was  among  the 
foremost  at  the  burning  mansion  where  some  of  them  lay.  But 
at  that  moment,  when  the  transports  of  his  victorious  troops  were 
drowning  the  roar  of  battle  with  acclamations,  a  note  was  brought 
to  him  from  General  Jackson.  It  was  brought  to  General  Lee 
as  he  sat  on  his  horse  near  the  Chancellorsville  House,  and,  unable 
to  open  it  with  his  gauntleted  hands,  he  passed  it  to  me  with 
directions  to  read  it  to  him.  The  note  made  no  mention  of  the 
wound  that  General  Jackson  had  received,  but  congratulated 
General  Lee  upon  the  great  victory.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
look  of  pain  and  anguish  that  passed  over  his  face  as  he  listened. 
"With  a  voice  broken  with  emotion  he  bade  me  say  to  General 
Jackson  that  the  victory  was  his,  and  that  the  congratulations 
were  due  to  him.  I  know  not  how  others  may  regard  this  inci 
dent,  but,  for  myself,  as  I  gave  expression  to  the  thoughts  of  his 
exalted  mind,  I  forgot  the  genius  that  won  the  day  in  my  rever 
ence  for  the  generosity  that  refused  its  glory. 


548  APPENDIX. 

"  There  is  one  other  incident  to  which  I  beg  permission  to 
refer,  that  I  may  perfect  the  picture.  On  the  3d  day  of  July, 
1863,  the  last  assault  of  the  Confederate  troops  upon  the  heights 
of  Gettysburg  failed,  and  again  General  Lee  was  among  his 
baffled  and  shattered  battalions  as  they  sullenly  retired  from 
their  brave  attempt.  The  history  of  that  battle  is  yet  to  be  writ 
ten,  and  the  responsibility  for  the  result  is  yet  to  be  fixed.  But 
there,  with  the  painful  consciousness  that  his  plans  had  been  frus 
trated  by  others,  and  that  defeat  and  humiliation  had  overtaken 
his  army,  in  the  presence  of  his  troops  he  openly  assumed  the 
entire  responsibility  of  the  campaign  and  of  the  lost  battle.  One 
word  from  him  would  have  relieved  him  of  this  responsibility,  but 
that  word  he  refused  to  utter  until  it  could  be  spoken  without 
fear  of  doing  the  least  injustice. 

"  Thus,  my  fellow-soldiers,  I  have  presented  to  you  our  great 
commander  in  the  supreme  moments  of  triumph  and  defeat.  I 
cannot  more  strongly  illustrate  his  character.  Has  it  been  sur 
passed  in  history  ?  Is  there  another  instance  of  such  self-abnega 
tion  among  men  ?  The  man  rose  high  above  victory  in  one  in 
stance  ;  and,  harder  still,  the  man  rose  superior  to  disaster  in  the 
other.  It  was  such  incidents  as  these  that  gave  General  Lee  the 
absolute  and  undoubting  confidence  and  affection  of  his  soldiers. 
Need  I  speak  of  the  many  exhibitions  of  that  confidence  ?  You 
all  remember  them,  my  comrades.  Have  you  not  seen  a  waver 
ing  line  restored  by  the  magic  of  his  presence  ?  Have  you  not 
seen  the  few  forget  that  they  were  fighting  against  the  many, 
because  he  was  among  the  few? 

"  But  I  pass  from  the  contemplation  of  his  greatness  in  war, 
to  look  to  his  example  under  the  oppressive  circumstances  of  final 
failure — to  look  to  that  example  to  which  it  is  most  useful  for 
us  now  to  refer  for  our  guidance  and  instruction.  When  the  at 
tempt  to  establish  the  Southern  Confederacy  had  failed,  and  the 
event  of  the  war  seemed  to  have  established  the  indivisibility  of 
the  Federal  Union,  General  Lee  gave  his  adhesion  to  the  new 
order  of  things.  His  was  no  hollow  truce ;  but,  with  the  pure 
faith  and  honor  that  marked  every  act  of  his  illustrious  career,  he 
immediately  devoted  himself  to  the  restoration  of  peace,  harmony, 
and  concord.  He  entered  zealously  into  the  subject  of  education, 


TRIBUTES   TO   GENERAL  LEE.  549 

believing,  as  he  often  declared,  that  popular  education  is  the  only 
sure  foundation  of  free  government.  He  gave  his  earnest  support 
to  all  plans  of  internal  improvements  designed  to  bind  more  firmly 
together  the  social  and  commercial  interests  of  the  country,  and 
among  the  last  acts  of  his  life  was  the  effort  to  secure  the  con 
struction  of  a  line  of  railway  communication  of  incalculable  impor 
tance  as  a  connecting  link  between  the  North  and  the  South.  He 
devoted  all  his  great  energies  to  the  advancement  of  the  welfare 
of  his  countrymen  while  shrinking  from  public  notice,  and  sought 
to  lay  deep  and  strong  the  foundations  of  government  which  it 
was  supposed  would  rise  from  the  ruins  of  the  old.  But  I  need 
not  repeat  to  you,  my  comrades,  the  history  of  his  life  since  the 
war.  You  have  watched  it  to  its  close,  and  you  know  how  faith 
fully  and  truly  he  performed  every  duty  of  his  position.  Let  us 
take  to  heart  the  lesson  of  his  bright  example.  Disregarding  all 
that  malice  may  impute  to  us,  with  an  eye  single  to  the  faithful 
performance  of  our  duties  as  American  citizens,  and  with  an  hon 
est  and  sincere  resolution  to  support  with  heart  and  hand  the 
honor,  the  safety,  and  the  true  liberties  of  our  country,  let  us  in 
voke  our  fellow-citizens  to  forget  the  animosities  of  the  past  by 
the  side  of  this  honored  grave,  and,  { joining  hands  around  this 
royal  corpse,  friends  now,  enemies  no  more,  proclaim  perpetual 
truce  to  battle.' " 

The  following  are  among  the  resolutions : 

"  The  officers,  soldiers,  and  sailors,  of  the  Southern  Confed 
eracy,  residing  in  Maryland,  who  served  under  General  Lee,  de 
siring  to  record  their  grief  for  his  death,  their  admiration  for  his 
exalted  virtues,  and  their  affectionate  veneration  for  his  illustri 
ous  memory — 

Resolved^  That,  leaving  with  pride  the  name  and  fame  of  our 
illustrious  commander  to  the  judgment  of  history,  we,  who  fol 
lowed  him  through  the  trials,  dangers,  and  hardships  of  a  san 
guinary  and  protracted  war ;  who  have  felt  the  inspiration  of  his 
genius  and  valor  in  the  time  of  trial ;  who  have  witnessed  his 
magnanimity  and  moderation  in  the  hour  of  victory,  and  his  firm 
ness  and  fortitude  in  defeat,  claim  the  privilege  of  laying  the 
tribute  of  our  heart-felt  sorrow  upon  his  honored  grave. 


550  APPENDIX. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  confidence  and  admiration  which  his  em« 
inent  achievements  deserved  and  received  were  strengthened  by 
the  noble  example  of  his  constancy  in  adversity,  and  that  we 
honored  and  revered  him  in  his  retirement  as  we  trusted  and 
followed  him  on  the  field  of  battle. 

"  Resolved,  That,  as  a  token  of  respect  and  sorrow,  we  will 
wear  the  customary  badge  of  mourning  for  thirty  days. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  and  of  the  pro 
ceedings  of  this  meeting  be  transmitted  to  the  family  of  our 
lamented  chief." 

On  the  29th  of  October  a  meeting  was  held  to  appoint  dele 
gates  to  represent  the  State  of  Maryland  at  the  Richmond  Lee 
Monumental  Convention.  After  some  brief  remarks  by  General 
L  R.  Trimble,  and  the  adoption  of  resolutions  constituting  the 
Lee  Monument  Association  of  Maryland,  the  Hon.  Reverdy 
Johnson  addressed  the  meeting  as  follows : 

HON.  REYEEDY  JOHNSON. 

"  Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen  :  I  am  here  in  compliance 
with  the  request  of  many  gentlemen  present,  and  I  not  only  will 
ingly  complied  with  that  request,  but  I  am  willing  to  do  all  I  am 
able,  to  show  my  appreciation  of  the  character,  civil  and  military, 
of  Robert  E.  Lee.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  know  him  before 
the  Mexican  War,  in  those  better  days  before  the  commencement 
of  the  sad  struggle  through  which  we  have  recently  passed.  I 
saw  in  him  every  thing  that  could  command  the  respect  and  ad 
miration  of  men,  and  I  watched  with  peculiar  interest  his  course 
in  the  Mexican  War.  It  was  also  my  good  fortune  to  know  the 
late  Lieutenant-General  Scott.  In  the  commencement  of  the 
struggle  to  which  I  have  alluded,  I  occupied  in  Washington  the 
position  of  quasi  military  adviser  to  him,  and  was,  in  that  capa 
city,  intimately  associated  with  him.  I  have  heard  him  often  de 
clare  that  the  glorious  and  continued  success  which  crowned  our 
arms  in  the  war  with  Mexico  was  owing,  in  a  large  measure,  to 
the  skill,  valor,  and  undaunted  courage  of  Robert  E.  Lee.  He 
entertained  for  him  the  warmest  personal  friendship,  and  it  was 
his  purpose  to  recommend  him  as  his  successor  in  the  event  of 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  551 

his  death  or  inability  to  perform  the  duties  of  his  high  position. 
In  April,  1861,  after  the  commencement  of  hostilities  between 
the  two  great  sections  of  our  country,  General  Lee,  then  lieuten 
ant-colonel  of  cavalry  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  offered 
his  resignation.  I  was  with  General  Scott  when  he  was  handed 
the  letter  of  resignation,  and  I  saw  what  pain  the  fact  caused 
him.  While  he  regretted  the  step  his  most  valuable  officer  had 
taken,  he  never  failed  to  say  emphatically,  and  over  and  over 
again,  that  he  believed  he  had  taken  it  from  an  imperative  sense 
of  duty.  He  was  also  consoled  by  the  belief  that  if  he  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  armies  of  the  then  Confederation,  he 
would  have  in  him  a  foeman  in  every  way  worthy  of  him,  and 
one  who  would  conduct  the  war  upon  the  highest  principles  of 
civilized  warfare,  and  that  he  would  not  suffer  encroachments  to 
be  made  upon  the  rights  of  private  property  and  the  rights  of 
unoffending  citizens. 

"  Some  may  be  surprised  that  I  am  here  to  eulogize  Robert 
E.  Lee.  It  is  well  known  that  I  did  not  agree  with  him  in  his 
political  views.  At  the  beginning  of  the  late  war,  and  for  many 
years  preceding  it,  even  from  the  foundation  of  this  Government, 
two  great  questions  agitated  the  greatest  minds  of  this  country. 
Many  believed  that  the  allegiance  of  the  citizen  was  due  first  to 
his  State,  and  many  were  of  the  opinion  that,  according  to  the 
true  reading  of  the  Constitution,  a  State  had  no  right  to  leave  the 
Union  and  claim  sovereign  rights  and  the  perpetual  allegiance  of 
her  citizens.  I  did  not  agree  in  the  first-named  opinion,  but  I 
knew  it  was  honestly  entertained.  I  knew  men  of  the  purest 
character,  of  the  highest  ability,  and  of  the  most  liberal  and 
patriotic  feelings,  who  conscientiously  believed  it.  Now  the  war 
is  over,  thank  God !  and  to  that  thank  I  am  sure  this  meeting 
will  respond,  it  is  the  duty  of  every  citizen  of  this  land  to  seek 
to  heal  the  wounds  of  the  war,  to  forget  past  differences,  and  to 
forgive,  as  far  as  possible,  the  faults  to  which  the  war  gave  rise. 
In  no  other  way  can  the  Union  be  truly  and  permanently  re 
stored.  We  are  now  together  as  a  band  of  brothers.  The 
soldiers  of  the  Confederacy,  headed  by  the  great  chief  we  now 
mourn,  have  expressed  their  willingness  to  abide  by  the  issue  of 
the  contest.  What  a  spectacle  to  the  world!  After  years  of 


552  APPENDIX. 

military  devastation,  with  tens  of-  thousands  dead  on  her  battle 
fields,  with  the  flower  of  her  children  slain,  with  her  wealth 
destroyed,  her  commerce  swept  away,  her  agricultural  and  me 
chanical  pursuits  almost  ruined,  the  South  yielded.  The  North, 
victorious  and  strong,  could  not  forget  what  she  owed  to  liberty 
and  human  rights.  We  may  well  swear  now  that  as  long  as  lib 
erty  is  virtuous  we  will  be  brothers. 

"  Robert  E.  Lee  is  worthy  of  all  praise.  As  a  man,  he  was 
peerless ;  as  a  soldier,  he  had  no  equal  and  no  superior ;  as  a  hu 
mane  and  Christian  soldier,  he  towers  high  in  the  political  hori 
zon.  You  cannot  imagine  with  what  delight,  when  I  had  the 
honor  to  represent  this  country  at  the  court  of  Great  Britain,  I 
heard  the  praises  of  his  fame  and  character  which  came  from 
soldiers  and  statesmen.  I  need  not  speak  of  the  comparative 
merits  of  General  Lee  and  the  Union  generals  who  opposed 
him ;  this  is  not  the  place  or  time  for  a  discussion  of  their  respec 
tive  successes  and  defeats ;  but  I  may  say  that,  as  far  as  I  was 
able  to  judge  of  the  sentiments  of  the  military  men  of  Great 
Britain,  they  thought  none  of  the  Union  officers  superior  to  Gen 
eral  Robert  E.  Lee.  Their  admiration  for  him  was  not  only  on 
account  of  his  skill  on  the  battle-field,  and  the  skilful  manner 
with  which  he  planned  and  executed  his  campaigns,  but  the  hu 
mane  manner  in  which  he  performed  his  sad  duty.  They  alluded 
specially  to  his  conduct  when  invading  the  territory  of  his  enemy— 
his  restraint  upon  his  men,  telling  them  that  the  honor  of  the  army 
depended  upon  the  manner  of  conducting  the  war  in  the  enemy's 
country — and  his  refusal  to  resort  to  retaliatory  measures.  I 
know  that  great  influences  were  brought  to  bear  upon  him,  when 
he  invaded  Pennsylvania,  to  induce  him  to  consent  to  extreme 
measures.  His  answer,  however,  was,  *  No  ;  if  I  suffer  my  army  to 
pursue  the  course  recommended,  I  cannot  invoke  the  blessing  of 
God  upon  my  arms.'  He  would  not  allow  his  troops  to  destroy 
private  property  or  to  violate  the  rights  of  the  citizens.  When 
the  necessities  of  his  army  compelled  the  taking  of  commissary 
stores,  by  his  orders  his  officers  paid  for  them  in  Confederate 
money  at  its  then  valuation.  No  burning  homesteads  illumined 
his  march,  no  shivering  and  helpless  children  were  turned  out  of 
their  homes  to  witness  their  destruction  by  the  torch.  With  him 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  553 

all  the  rules  of  civilized  war,  having  the  higher  sanction  of  God, 
were  strictly  observed.  The  manly  fortitude  with  which  he  yield 
ed  at  Appomattox  to  three  times  his  numbers  showed  that  he 
was  worthy  of  the  honors  and  the  fame  the  South  had  given  him. 
This  is  not  the  first  time  since  the  termination  of  the  war  I  have 
expressed  admiration  and  friendship  for  Robert  E.  Lee.  When  I 
heard  that  he  was  about  to  be  prosecuted  in  a  Virginia  court  for 
the  alleged  crime  of  treason,  I  wrote  to  him  at  once,  and  with 
all  my  heart,  that  if  he  believed  I  could  be  of  any  service  to  him, 
professionally,  I  was  at  his  command.  All  the  ability  I  possess, 
increased  by  more  than  fifty  years  of  study  and  experience,  would 
have  been  cheerfully  exerted  to  have  saved  him,  for  in  saving  him 
I  believe  I  would  have  been  saving  the  honor  of  my  country.  I 
received  a  characteristic  reply  in  terms  of  friendship  and  grateful 
thanks.  He  wrote  that  he  did  not  think  the  prosecution  would 
take  place.  Hearing,  however,  some  time  after,  that  the  prose 
cution  would  commence  at  Richmond,  I  went  at  once  to  that  city 
and  saw  his  legal  adviser,  Hon.  William  H.  McFarland,  one  of  the 
ablest  men  of  the  bar  of  Virginia.  Mr.  McFarland  showed  me  a 
copy  of  a  letter  from  General  Lee  to  General  Grant,  enclosing 
an  application  for  a  pardon  which  he  desired  General  Grant  to 
present  to  the  President,  but' telling  him  not  to  present  it  if  any 
steps  had  been  taken  for  his  prosecution,  as  he  was  willing  to 
stand  the  test.  He  wrote  that  he  had  understood  by  the  terms 
of  surrender  at  Appomattox  that  he  and  all  his  officers  and  men 
were  to  be  protected.  That  letter,  I  am  glad  to  say,  raised  Gen 
eral  Lee  higher  in  my  esteem.  General  Grant  at  once  replied, 
and  he  showed  his  reply  to  me.  He  wrote  that  he  had  seen  the 
President,  and  protested  against  any  steps  being  taken  against 
General  Lee,  and  had  informed  him  that  he  considered  his  honoi 
and  the  honor  of  the  nation  pledged  to  him.  The  President  be 
came  satisfied,  and  no  proceedings  were  ever  taken.  General 
Grant  transmitted  to  the  President  the  application  of  General 
Lee  for  pardon,  indorsed  with  his  most  earnest  approval.  No 
pardon  was  granted.  He  did  not  need  it  here,  and,  when  he  ap 
pears  before  that  great  tribunal  before  which  we  must  all  be 
called,  he  will  find  he  has  no  account  to  settle  there.  No  soldier 
who  followed  General  Lee  could  have  felt  more  grief  and  sympa- 
37 


554  APPENDIX. 

thy  at  his  grave  than  I  would,  could  I  have  been  present  upon  the 
mournful  occasion  of  his  burial.  I  lamented  his  loss  as  a  private 
loss,  and  still  more  as  a  public  .oss.  I  knew  that  his  example 
would  continue  to  allay  the  passions  aroused  by  the  war,  and 
which  I  was  not  surprised  were  excited  by  some  acts  in  that  war. 
I  love  my  country ;  I  am  jealous  of  her  honor.  I  cherish  her 
good  name,  and  I  am  proud  of  the  land  of  my  birth.  I  forbear 
to  criticise  the  lives  and  characters  of  her  high  officers  and  ser 
vants,  but  I  can  say  with  truth  that,  during  the  late  war,  the 
laws  of  humanity  were  forgotten,  and  the  higher  orders  of  God 
were  trodden  under  foot. 

"  The  resolutions  need  no  support  which  human  lips  can  by 
human  language  give.  Their  subject  is  then-  support.  The  name 
of  Lee  appeals  at  once,  and  strongly,  to  every  true  heart  in  this 
land  and  throughout  the  world.  Let  political  partisans,  influ 
enced  by  fanaticism  and  the  hope  of  political  plunder,  find  fault 
with  and  condemn  us.  They  will  be  forgotten  when  the  name 
of  Lee  will  be  resplendent  with  immortal  glory. 

"  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  in  the  course  of  Nature  my 
career  upon  earth  must  soon  terminate.  God  grant  that  when 
the  day  of  my  death  comes,  I  may  look  up  to  Heaven  with  that 
confidence  and  faith  which  the  life  and  character  of  Robert  E.  Lee 
gave  him !  He  died  trusting  in  God,  as  a  good  man,  with  a  good 
life  and  a  pure  conscience.  He  was  consoled  with  the  knowledge 
that  the  religion  of  Christ  had  ordered  all  his  ways,  and  he  knew 
that  the  verdict  of  God  upon  the  account  he  would  have  to  render 
in  heaven  would  be  one  of  judgment  seasoned  with  mercy.  He 
had  a  right  to  believe  that  when  God  passed  judgment  upon  the 
account  of  his  life,  though  He  would  find  him  an  erring  human 
being,  He  would  find  virtue  enough  and  religious  faith  enough  to 
save  him  from  any  other  verdict  than  that  of  c  Well  done,  good 
and  faithful  servant.'  The  monument  will  be  raised  ;  and  when 
it  is  raised  many  a  man  will  visit  Richmond  to  stand  beside  it,  to 
do  reverence  to  the  remains  it  may  cover,  and  to  say,  *  Here  lie 
the  remains  of  one  of  the  noblest  men  who  ever  lived  or  died  in 
America,' " 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  555 

HON.  GEOKGE  WILLIAM  BEOWN. 

"Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen:  The  able  and  eloquent 
gentlemen  who  have  preceded  me  have  left  but  little  for  me  to 
say.  I  rise,  however,  to  express  my  hearty  assent  to  the  resolu 
tions.  Their  broad  and  liberal  views  are  worthy  of  the  great 
and  good  man  whose  virtues  and  fame  we  seek  to  commemorate. 
He  has  passed  away  from  earth,  and  our  blame  or  censure  is 
nothing  to  him  now.  The  most  eloquent  eulogies  that  human 
lips  can  utter,  and  the  loftiest  monuments  that  human  hands  can 
build,  cannot  affect  him  now.  But  it  is  a  satisfaction  to  us  to 
know  that  expressions  of  the  love  for  him  which  lives  in  every 
Southern  heart — ay,  in  many  a  Northern  heart — were  heard 
long  before  his  death,  and  that  honor  shed  noble  lustre  around 
the  last  years  of  his  life.  He  was  the  representative  of  a  lost 
cause  ;  he  had  sheathed  his  sword  forever ;  he  had  surrendered 
his  army  to  superior  numbers  ;  he  was  broken  in  fortune  and  in 
health,  and  was  only  president  of  a  Virginia  college,  yet  he  was 
one  of  the  foremost  men  of  all  the  world. 

"  It  has  been  said  of  General  Lee,  as  it  has  been  said  of 
Washington,  that  he  was  deficient  in  genius.  His  character 
was  so  complete  that  what  would  have  seemed  evidences  of 
genius  with  other  men,  were  lost  in  the  combination  of  his  char 
acter  and  mind.  He  was  always,  and  especially  in  every  great 
crisis,  a  leader  among  men.  During  the  four  years  of  his  educa 
tion  at  West  Point  he  did  not  receive  a  single  reprimand.  As 
a  cavalry-officer,  wherever  he  went  he  was  a  marked  man ;  and 
when  General  Scott  made  his  wonderful  march  to  the  capital  of 
Mexico,  Captain  Lee  was  his  right  arm.  At  the  commencement 
of  the  late  war,  though  only  a  lieutenant-colonel  of  cavalry,  he 
was  offered  the  command  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States. 
What  a  prize  for  ambition  !  Fortune,  fame,  and  honors,  awaited 
him.  Where  would  he  have  been  to-day  ?  Probably  in  the 
presidential  chair  of  this  great  nation.  But  he  rejected  all  to 
take  his  chance  with  his  own  people,  and  to  unite  with  them  in 
their  resistance  to  the  vast  numbers  and  resources  which  he  knew 
the  North  was  able  to  bring  against  them.  There  is  nothing 
more  remarkable  in  the  annals  of  warfare  than  the  success  with 
which  General  Lee  defeated  for  years  the  armies  of  the  United 


656  APPENDIX. 

States.  Consider  the  six-days'  battles  around  Richmond;  the 
second  battle  of  Manassas  ;  the  battles  at  Antietam,  Fredericks- 
burg,  and  Gettysburg;  the  wonderful  contest  at  Chancellors- 
ville ;  then  again  the  remarkable  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  in 
which  it  has  been  said  by  Federal  authority  that  General  Lee 
actually  killed  as  many  men  as  he  had  under  his  command ;  the 
defence  at  Cold  Harbor-  the  prolonged  defence  of  Richmond 
and  Petersburg,  and  the  admirably-conducted  retreat  with  but  a 
handful  before  an  immense  army.  Well  has  he  been  spoken  of 
as  '  the  incomparable  strategist.'  Did  any  man  ever  fight  against 
more  desperate  odds  or  resources  ? 

"  But  not  merely  as  a  great  general  is  General  Lee  to  be  ad 
mired.  He  claims  our  admiration  as  a  great  man — great  in  ad 
versity.  I  think  there  is  nothing  more  admirable  in  all  his  life 
than  his  conduct  in  assuming  the  sole  responsibility  at  Gettys 
burg.  In  the  midst  of  defeat  Lee  was  calm,  unmoved,  showing 
no  fear  where  despair  would  have  been  in  the  heart  of  any  other 
general,  and  saying  to  his  officers  and  men,  'The  fault  is  all 
mine.'  Let  the  monument  be  raised,  not  merely  by  soldiers  of 
General  Lee,  but  by  all  men,  no  matter  of  what  political  feel 
ings,  who  appreciate  and  honor  that  which  is  manly,  great,  and 
patriotic.  The  monument  at  Richmond  will  be  the  resort  of 
pilgrims  from  the  North  as  well  as  from  the  South,  and  the 
grave  of  Lee  will  be  second  only  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  to 
the  grave  of  Washington." 

LEXINGTON,  KY. 

At  the  meeting  at  Lexington,  resolutions  were  adopted  simi 
lar  to  those  already  given.  The  meeting  was  addressed  by 
General  Preston  and  others. 

GENERAL  W.  PKESTON. 

"  I  am  permitted  to  accompany  the  report  with  a  few  re 
marks,  although  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  use  one  word  of  com 
mendation  on  the  character  of  such  a  man.  These  resolutions 
are  no  doubt  very  short,  but  they  will  testify  the  feelings  of 
every  right-minded,  noble-hearted  man,  no  matter  what  may 


TRIBUTES  TO  GENERAL  LEE.  557 

have  been  his  opinions  as  to  the  past.  Every  true  and  generous 
soul  feels  that  these  resolutions  are  expressive  of  the  sorrow  en 
tertained  by  the  whole  country.  We  speak  not  only  the  com 
mon  voice  of  America,  but  of  the  world  at  this  hour.  It  is  no 
ordinary  case  of  eulogy  over  an  ordinary  being,  but  over  one 
who  was  the  man  of  the  century ;  a  man  who,  by  mighty  armies 
commanded  with  admirable  skill ;  by  great  victories  achieved, 
and  yet  never  stained  by  exultation ;  by  mighty  misfortunes  met 
with  a  calm  eye,  and  submitted  to  with  all  the  dignity  that  be 
longs  to  elevated  intelligence,  and  by  his  simplicity  and  gran 
deur,  challenged  the  admiration  of  civilized  mankind ;  and  still 
more  remarkable,  after  yielding  to  the  greatest  vicissitudes  that 
the  world  ever  saw,  resigned  himself  to  the  improvement  of  the 
youth  of  the  country,  to  the  last  moment  of  his  mortal  life,  look 
ing  to  the  glorious  life  which  he  contemplated  beyond  the  tomb. 
I  must  confess  that,  notwithstanding  the  splendor  and  glory  of 
his  career,  I  envy  him  the  dignity  of  the  pacific  close  of  his  life. 
Nothing  more  gentle,  nothing  more  great,  nothing  more  uncom 
plaining,  has  ever  been  recorded  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
By  returning  to  Napoleon,  we  find  he  murmured,  we  find  all 
the  marks  of  mortality  and  mortal  anger ;  but  in  Lee  we  find  a 
man  perfect  in  Christian  principles — dignified,  yet  simple. 

"  I  knew  him  first  when  he  was  a  captain.  I  was  then  a 
young  man  connected  with  one  of  the  regiments  of  this  State,  in 
Mexico,  the  Fourth  Kentucky  ;  and  when  I  first  saw  him  he  was 
a  man  of  extreme  physical  beauty,  remarkable  for  his  great  gen 
tleness  of  manner,  and  for  his  freedom  from  all  military  and  social 
vices.  At  that  time,  General  Scott,  by  common  consent,  had 
fixed  upon  General  Lee  as  the  man  who  would  make  his  mark  if 
ever  the  country  needed  his  services.  He  never  swore  an  oath, 
he  never  drank,  he  never  wrangled,  but  there  was  not  a  single 
dispute  between  gentlemen  that  his  voice  was  not  more  potent 
than  any  other ;  his  rare  calmness,  serenity,  and  dignity,  were 
above  all.  When  the  war  came  on,  he  followed  his  native  State, 
Virginia,  for  he  was  the  true  representative  of  the  great  Virginia 
family  at  Washington.  He  was  the  real  type  of  his  race.  He 
was  possessed  of  all  the  most  perfect  points  of  Washington's 
character,  with  all  the  noble  traits  of  his  own. 


558  APPENDIX. 

"  Scott  maintained  that  Lee  was  the  greatest  soldier  in  the 
army.  His  discerning  eye  compared  men ;  and  I  remember 
when,  in  some  respects,  I  thought  General  Lee's  military  edu 
cation  had  not  fitted  him  for  the  great  talents  which  he  was 
destined  to  display.  I  remember  when  General  Scott  made  use 
of  these  remarkable  words  :  '  I  tell  you  one  thing,  if  I  was  on  my 
death-bed,  and  knew  there  was  a  battle  to  be  fought  for  the 
liberties  of  my  country,  and  the  President  was  to  say  to  me, 
"  Scott,  who  shall  command  ?  "  I  tell  you  that,  with  my  dying- 
breath,  I  should  say  Robert  Lee.  Nobody  but  Robert  Lee ! 
Robert  Lee,  and  nobody  but  Lee ! '  That  impressed  me  very 
much,  because,  at  the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  Lee  was  not 
prosperous  ;  and  why  ?  because  he  was  building  up  his  men  with 
that  science  which  he  possessed.  His  great  qualities  were  dis 
cerned  not  after  his  remarkable  campaigns  ;  but,  long  before  it, 
his  name  was  regarded  with  that  respected  preeminence  to  which 
it  did  rise  under  that  campaign.  And  I  now  say,  and  even  op 
posite  officers  will  admit,  that  no  man  has  displayed  greater 
power,  more  military  ability,  or  more  noble  traits  of  character, 
than  Robert  E.  Lee.  Therefore  it  is  that  America  has  lost  much. 
Europe  will  testify  this  as  well  as  ourselves  in  this  local  com 
munity.  Europe  will  weigh  this,  but  after-ages  will  weigh  him 
with  Moltke  and  Bazaine,  with  the  Duke  of  Magenta,  and  with  all 
military  men,  and,  in  my  judgment,  those  ages  will  say  that  the 
greatest  fame  and  ability  belonged  to  Robert  Lee.  But  let  us 
look  to  his  moral  character,  to  which  I  have  already  alluded. 
Through  his  whole  life  he  had  been  a  fervent  and  simple  Chris 
tian;  throughout  his  campaigns  he  was  a  brave  and  splendid 
soldier.  If  you  ask  of  his  friends,  you  will  find  that  they  adore 
him.  If  you  ask  his  character  from  his  enemies,  you  will  find 
that  they  respect  him,  and  respect  is  the  involuntary  tribute 
which  friend  and  enemy  alike  have  to  pay  to  elevated  worth ; 
and,  to-day,  as  the  bells  toll,  their  sounds  will  vibrate  with  the 
tenderest  feelings  through  every  noble  heart.  Public  confessions 
of  his  worth  and  his  greatness  will  be  made  through  thousands 
of  the  towns  and  cities  throughout  this  broad  land ;  and,  even 
where  they  are  silent,  monitors  within  will  tell  that  a  great  spirit 
hath  fled.  This  secret  monitor  will  tell  that  a  great  and  good 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  559 

man  has  passed  away,  who  has  left,  in  my  opinion,  no  equal 
behind  him." 

REV.  DR.  HEXDERSON. 

"  Since  the  announcement  of  the  death  of  Robert  E.  Lee,  I 
have  been  momentarily  expecting  the  appearance  of  a  call  to  pay 
some  tribute  to  his  splendid  memory ;  but,  if  a  notice  had  been 
given  of  this  meeting,  it  altogether  escaped  my  attention,  else  I 
would  have  been  here  freely  and  voluntarily.  If  I  am  a  stranger 
in  Lexington,  and  my  lot  has  been  cast  here  only  during  the  last 
three  weeks,  yet  I  am  happy  that  my  fellow-citizens  here  have 
paid  me  such  great  respect  as  to  call  on  me,  on  such  an  occasion 
as  the  present,  to  testify  to  the  greatness  and  glory  of  General 
Robert  E.  Lee.  Some  public  calamity  is  required  to  bring  us 
into  one  great  brotherhood.  '  One  touch  of  Nature  makes  the 
whole  world  kin.'  Though  you  are  all  strangers  to  me,  yet,  in 
that  common  sympathy  which  we  all  feel,  we  are  mourners 
together  at  the  bier  of  departed  worth. 

"  It  does  not  become  one  of  my  profession  to  take  any  par 
tisan  view  of  the  life  of  such  a  man,  although  it  was  my  fortune 
to  follow  the  same  flag  which  he  carried  to  victory  upon  so  many 
fields.  When  it  was  furled,  it  was  done  with  such  calm  magni 
ficence  as  to  win  the  admiration  of  his  enemies  and  of  the  world. 
Yet  I  do  not  stand  here  to  make  any  reference  to  that  cause 
which  has  passed  from  the  theatre  of  earth's  activity,  and  taken 
its  place  only  in  history.  But  I  do  claim  the  right,  from  the 
stand-point  which  I  occupy,  of  pointing  to  a  man  worthy  of  the 
emulation  of  all  who  love  the  true  nobility  of  humanity ;  a  man 
who  was  magnanimous  to  his  enemies ;  who  would  weep  at  the 
calamities  of  his  foes  ;  who,  throughout  the  sanguinary  struggle, 
could  preserve  in  himself  the  fullest  share  of  human  sympathy. 
History  will  challenge  the  world  to  produce  a  single  instance  in 
which  this  great  man  ever  wantonly  inflicted  a  blow,  or  ever  wil 
fully  imposed  punishment  upon  any  of  his  captives,  or  ever 
pushed  his  victory  upon  an  enemy  to  gain  unnecessary  results — 
a  man  who,  in  all  his  campaigns,  showed  the  same  bright  ex 
ample  to  all  the  battalions  that  followed  the  lead  of  his  sword. 
And  now,  since  that  flag  which  he  carried  has  been  furled,  what 


\ 


560  APPENDIX. 

a  magnificent  example  has  been  presented  to  the  world !  It  was 
said  of  Washington  that  he  was  first  in  war  and  first  in  peace, 
but,  in  the  latter  regard,  Robert  E.  Lee  showed  more  greatness 
than  even  the  Father  of  his  Country.  He  was  struck  down ;  the 
sun  that  had  brightened  up  the  horizon  of  hopes  sank  in  dark 
eclipse  to  set  in  the  shadow  of  disappointment.  Calm  and  jr°>g- 
nificent  in  the  repose  of  conscious  strength,  he  felt  that  l^-n-f^ 
lived  and  struggled  for  a  principle  that  was  dear  to  him.  T^; 
dead,  it  only  remained  for  him  to  be  our  example  to  the  st>  r  v^ai 
and  suffering  people  for  whom  he  labored,  and  to  shoT, 
magnanimously  a  brave  and  true  Christian  could  act  everi  a 
all  he  held  sacred  and  dear  was  shattered  by  the  hand  of  cal*.-.£ity. 
And,  at  the  close  of  his  career,  he  devoted  his  splendid  c^  acity 
to  the  culture  of  the  minds  of  his  country's  youth.  He  came 
down  from  the  summit  on  which  he  had  won  the  world's  admira 
tion,  to  the  steady,  regular  duties  of  the  school-room,  to  take  his 
place  in  the  vestry  of  a  Christian  church,  and  to  administer  the 
affairs  of  a  country  parish  in  the  interest  of  Christianity.  A  man 
who,  by  his  dignity  and  simplicity,  preserved  the  constant  admi 
ration  of  his  enemies,  without  even  giving  offence  to  his  friends, 
such  a  man  should  receive  a  niche  in  the  Pantheon  of  Fame. 

"  He  stood  in  that  great  struggle  of  which  as  a  star  he  was 
the  leader,  of  unclouded  brightness,  drawing  over  its  mournful 
history  a  splendor  which  is  reflected  from  every  sentence  of  its 
chronicle.  He  was  an  example  of  a  man,  who,  though  branded  be 
cause  of  defeat,  still,  by  his  exalted  character,  gave  a  dignity  and 
nobility  to  a  cause  which,  doubtless,  is  forever  dead,  yet  still  is 
rendered  immortal  by  the  achievements  of  Robert  E.  Lee's  sword 
and  character." 

NEW  YORK. 

"  Services  were  held  last  evening,"  says  a  New-York  journal, 
"  in  the  large  hall  of  the  Cooper  Institute,  in  commemoration  of 
the  life  and  character  of  the  late  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  of  the 
Confederate  States  Army,  with  especial  referen  ',  to  his  civic 
and  Christian  virtues.  The  call  for  the  meetir,  stated  that, 
although  it  was  inaugurated  by  the  Southern  re.  q  oj  "spirit 
city  of  New  York,  it  was  *  yet  to  be  regarded  ns  in  ,  p&  good 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE. 

of  partisan  feeling,  but  solely  from  the  desire  to  do  honor  to  the 
memory  of  a  great  and  good  man— an  illustrious  American.' 
The  attendance  therefore  of  all,  without  reference  to  section  or 
nationality,  was  cordially  invited. 

"  There  was  no   special  decoration  of  the  hall.     Grafulla's 
ban^1  was  in  attendance,  and,  prior  to  the  opening  of  the  meet 
ing       iyed  several  fine  dirges.      The   choir  of  St.  Stephen's 
ilso  appeared  upon  the  platform  and  opened  the  proceed- 
•  singing  '  Come,  Holy  Spirit.'     The  choir  consisted  of 
de  Luzan,  Mrs.  Jennie  Kempton,  Dr.  Bauos,  and  Herr 
"W  t         h.     Mr.  H.  B.  Denforth  presided  at  the  piano. 

"  ^  faong  the  gentlemen  present  on  the  platform  were  Gen 
eral  Linden,  ex-Governor  Lowe,  General  Walker,  Colonel  Hun 
ter,  General  Daniel  W.  Adams,  Dr.  Van  Avery,  Mr.  M.  B.  Field 
ing,  Colonel  Fellows,  General  Cabell,  Colonel  T.  L.  Gnead,  Mr. 
McCormick,  Mr.  T.  A.  Hoyt,  etc. 

"  Mr.  M.  B.  Fielding  called  the  meeting  to  order,  and  re 
quested  the  Rev.  Dr.  Carter  to  offer  prayer. 

"  The  Hon.  John  E.  Ward  was  then  called  to  preside,  and 
delivered  the  following  address — all  the  marked  passages  of 
which  were  loudly  applauded : 

"  We  meet  to  pay  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  one 
whom  the  -whole  South  revered  with  more  than  filial  affection. 
The  kind  r''anifestations  of  sympathy  expressed  through  the 
press  of  this  great  metropolis,  this  assemblage,  the  presence  of ; 
these  distinguished  men,  who  join  with  us  this  evening,  testify 
that  the  afflicted  voice  of  his  bereaved  people  has  charmed  down 
with  sweet  persuasion  the  angry  passions  kindled  by  the  conflict 
in  which  he  was  their  chosen  leader.  This  is  not  the  occasion 
either  for  an  elaborate  review  of  his  life  or  a  eulogy  of  his 
character.  I  propose  to  attempt  neither.  Born  of  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  distinguished  families  of  our  country — one  so 
renowned  in  the  field  and  in  the  cabinet  that  it  seemed  almost 
impossible  to  giv^  brighter  lustre  to  it — General  Robert  E.  Lee 
rendered  that  f,»  lily  name  even  more  illustrious,  and  by  his 
genius  and  vir^  /s  extended  its  fame  to  regions  of  the  globe 
"  ample1 »  »?  before  been  mentioned.  There  is  no  cause  for 

And  no\\         '-eft  r»rw.     His  soldiers  adored  him  most,  not  in 


562  APPENDIX. 

the  glare  of  his  brilliant  victories,  but  in  the  hour  of  his  deepest 
humiliation,  when  his  last  great  battle  had  been  fought  and  lost 
— when  the  government  for  which  he  had  struggled  was  crum 
bling  about  him — when  his  staff,  asking,  in  despair, '  What  can 
now  be  done  ? '  he  gave  that  memorable  reply,  *  It  were  strange 
indeed  if  human  virtue  were  not  at  least  as  strong  as  human 
calamity.'  This  is  the  key  to  his  life — the  belief  that  trials 
and  strength,  suffering  and  consolation,  come  alike  from  God. 
Obedience  to  duty  was  ever  his  ruling  principle.  Infallibility  is 
not  claimed  for  him  in  the  exercise  of  his  judgment  in  deciding 
what  duty  was.  But  what  he  believed  duty  to  command,  that 
he  performed  without  thought  of  how  he  would  appear  in  the 
performance.  In  the  judgment  of  many  he  may  have  mistaken 
his  duty  when  he  decided  that  it  did  not  require  him  to  draw  his 
sword  '  against  his  home,  his  kindred,  and  his  children.'  But 
Lee  was  no  casuist  or  politician ;  he  was  a  soldier.  '  All  that 
he  would  do  highly  that  would  he  do  holily.'  He  taught  the 
world  that  the  Christian  and  the  gentleman  could  be  united  in 
the  warrior.  It  was  not  when  in  pomp  and  power — when  he 
commanded  successful  legions  and  led  armies  to  victories — but 
when  in  sorrow  and  privation  he  assumed  the  instruction  and 
guidance  of  the  youth  of  Virginia,  laying  the  only  true  founda 
tion  upon  which  a  republic  can  rest,  the  Christian  education  of 
its  youth — that  he  reaped  the  rich  harvest  of  a  people's  love, 
(jroodness  was  the  chief  attribute  of  Lee's  greatness.  Uniting  in 
himself  the  rigid  piety  of  the  Puritan  with  the  genial,  generous 
impulses  of  the  cavalier,  he  won  the  love  of  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact,  from  the  thoughtless  child,  with  whom  it  was 
ever  his  delight  to  sport,  to  the  great  captain  of  the  age,  with 
whom  he  fought  all  the  hard-won  battles  of  Mexico.  Some  may 
believe  that  the  world  has  given  birth  to  warriors  more  renowned, 
to  rulers  more  skilled  in  statecraft,  but  all  must  concede  that 
a  purer,  nobler  man  never  lived.  What  successful  warrior  or 
ruler,  in  ancient  or  modern  times,  has  descended  to  his  grave 
amid  such  universal  grief  and  lamentation  as  our  Lee  ?  Cassar 
fell  by  the  hands  of  his  own  beloved  Brutus,  because,  by  his 
tyranny,  he  would  have  enslaved  Rome.  Frederick  the  Great, 
the  founder  of  an  empire,  became  so  hated  of  men,  and  learned 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  563 

BO  to  despise  them,  that  he  ordered  his  *  poor  carcass,'  as  he 
called  it,  to  be  buried  with  his  favorite  dogs  at  Potsdam.  Napo 
leon  reached  his  giddy  height  by  paths  which  Lee  would  have 
scorned  to  tread,  only  to  be  hurled  from  his  eminence  by  all  the 
powers  of  Europe  which  his  insatiate  ambition  had  combined 
against  him.  Wellington,  the  conqueror  of  Napoleon,  became 
the  leader  of  a  political  party,  and  lived  to  need  the  protection  of 
police  from  a  mob.  Even  our  own  Washington,  whose  character 
was  as  high  above  that  of  the  mere  warrior  and  conqueror  as  is 
the  blue  vault  of  keaven  above  us  to  the  low  earth  we  tread  be 
neath  our  feet,  was  libelled  in  life  and  slandered  in  death.  Such 
were  the  fates  of  the  most  successful  captains  and  warriors  of  the 
world.  For  four  long  years  Lee  occupied  a  position  not  less  prom 
inent  than  that  of  the  most  distinguished  among  them.  The  eyes 
of  the  civilized  world  watched  his  every  movement  and  scanned 
his  every  motive.  His  cause  was  lost.  He  was  unsuccessful.  Yet 
he  lived  to  illustrate  to  the  world  how,  despite  failure  and  defeat, 
a  soldier  could  command  honor  and  love  from  those  for  whom  he 
straggled,  and  admiration  and  respect  from  his  foes,  such  as  no 
success  had  ever  before  won  for  warrior,  prince,  or  potentate. 
And,  when  his  life  was  ended,  the  whole  population  of  the  South, 
forming  one  mighty  funeral  procession,  followed  him  to  his 
grave.  His  obsequies  modestly  performed  by  those  most  ten 
derly  allied  to  him,  he  sleeps  in  the  bosom  of  the  land  he  loved 
so  well.  His  spotless  fame  will  gather  new  vigor  and  freshness 
from  the  lapse  of  time,  and  the  day  is  not  distant  when  that 
fame  will  be  claimed,  not  as  the  property  of  a  section,  but  as  the 
heritage  of  a  united  people.  His  soul,  now  forever  freed  from 
earth's  defilements,  basks  in  the  sunlight  of  God.  £  Pro  tumulo 
ponas  patriam,  pro  tegmine  ccelum,  sidera  pro  facibus,  pro 
lachrymis  mariaS  "  (Great  applause.) 

GENEKAI,  IMBODEN 
Rose  and  said : 

"  It  is  with  emotions  of  infinite  grief  I  rise  to  perform  one  of 
the  saddest  duties  of  my  life.  The  committee  who  have  ar 
ranged  the  ceremonies  on  this  occasion,  deemed  it  expedient 
and  proper  to  select  a  Virginian  as  their  organ  to  present  to 


564:  APPENDIX. 

this  large  assembly  of  the  people  of  New  York  a  formal  pre 
amble  and  resolutions,  which  give  expression  to  their  feelings  in 
regard  to  the  death  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee.  This  distinc 
tion  has  been  conferred  by  the  committee  upon  me ;  and  I  shall 
proceed  to  read  their  report,  without  offering  to  submit  any  re 
marks  as  to  the  feelings  excited  in  my  own  heart  by  this  mourn 
ful  intelligence : " 

RESOLUTIONS. 

"  In  this  great  metropolitan  city  of  America,  where  men  of 
every  clime  and  of  all  nationalities  mingle  in  the  daily  inter 
course  of  pleasure  and  of  business,  no  great  public  calamity  can 
befall  any  people  in  the  world  without  touching  a  sympathetic 
chord  in  the  hearts  of  thousands.  When,  therefore,  tidings 
reached  us  that  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  of  Virginia,  was  dead, 
and  that  the  people  of  that  and  all  the  other  Southern  States 
of  the  Union  were  stricken  with  grief,  the  great  public  heart  of 
New  York  was  moved  with  a  generous  sympathy,  which  found 
kindly  and  spontaneous  expression  through  the  columns  of  the 
city  press  of  every  shade  of  opinion. 

"  All  differences  of  the  past,  all  bitter  memories,  all  the  feuds 
that  have  kept  two  great  sections  of  our  country  in  angry  strife 
and  controversy  for  so  long,  have  been  forgotten  in  the  pres 
ence  of  the  awe-inspiring  fact  that  no  virtues,  no  deeds,  no  hon 
ors,  nor  any  position,  can  save  any  member  of  the  human  family 
from  the  common  lot  of  all. 

"  The  universal  and  profound  grief  of  our  Southern  country 
men  is  natural  and  honorable  alike  to  themselves  and  to  him 
whom  they  mourn,  and  is  respected  throughout  the  world;  for 
Robert  E.  Lee  was  allied  and  endeared  to  them  by  all  the  most 
sacred  ties  that  can  unite  an  individual  to  a  community.  He 
was  born  and  reared  in  their  midst,  and  shared  their  local  pecu 
liarities,  opinions,  and  traditional  characteristics ;  and  his  preemi 
nent  abilities  and  exalted  personal  integrity  and  Christian  char 
acter  made  him,  by  common  consent,  their  leader  and  represent 
ative  in  a  great  national  conflict  in  which  they  had  staked  life, 
fortune,  and  honor ;  and  in  Virginia  his  family  was  coeval  with 
the  existence  of  the  State,  and  its  name  was  emblazoned  upon 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  565 

those  bright  pages  of  her  early  civil  and  military  annals  which 
record  the  patriotic  deeds  of  Washington  and  his  compeers. 

"  By  no  act  of  his  did  he  ever  forfeit  or  impair  the  confidence 
thus  reposed  in  him  by  his  own  peculiar  people ;  and  when  he 
had,  through  years  of  heroic  trial  and  suffering,  done  all  that 
mortal  man  could  do  in  discharge  of  the  high  trust  confided  by 
them  to  his  hands,  and  failed,  he  bowed  with  dignified  submis 
sion  to  the  decree  of  Providence ;  and  from  the  day  he  gave  his 
parole  at  Appomattox  to  the  hour  of  his  death,  he  so  lived  and 
acted  as  to  deprive  enmity  of  its  malignity,  and  became  to  his 
defeated  soldiers  and  countrymen  a  bright  example  of  unquali 
fied  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  land,  and  of  support  to  its  es 
tablished  government.     Nay,  more.     With  a  spirit  of  Christian 
and  affectionate  duty  to  his  impoverished  and  suffering  people, 
and  with  a  high  estimate  of  the  importance  of  mental  and  moral 
culture  to  a  generation  of  youth  whose  earlier  years  were  at 
tended  by  war's  rough  teachings,  he  went  from  the  tented  field 
and  the  command  of  armies  to  the  quiet  shades  of  a  scholastic 
institution  in  the  secluded  valleys  of  his  own  native  Virginia,  and 
entered  with  all  the  earnestness  of  his  nature  upon  the  duties  of 
instruction,  and  there  spent  the  closing  years  of  his  life  in  train 
ing  the  minds  and  hearts  of  young  men  from  all  parts  of  the  coun 
try  for  the  highest  usefulness  'in  their  day  and  generation.'     By 
these  pursuits,  and  his  exemplary  and  unobtrusive  life  since  the 
close  of  the  great  war  in  America,  he  won  the  respect  and  ad 
miration  of  the  enlightened  and  the  good  of  the  whole  world.    It 
is  meet  and  natural,  therefore,  that  his  own  people  should  be  wail 
his  death  as  a  sore  personal  bereavement  to  each  one  of  them. 
Those  of  us  here  assembled  who  were  his  soldiers,  friends,  and  sup 
porters,  sharing  all  the  trials  and  many  of  the  responsibilities  of 
that  period  of  his  life  which  brought  him  so  prominently  before 
the  world,  honored  and  trusted  him  then,  have  loved  and  ad 
mired  him,  have  been  guided  by  his  example  since ;  and  no\v 
that  he  is  dead,  we  should  be  unworthy  of  ourselves,  and  unwor 
thy  to  be  called  his  countrymen,  did  we  not  feel  and  express  the 
same  poignant  grief  which  now  afflicts  those  among  whom  he 
lived  and  died. 

"  Those  of  us  who  were  not  his  soldiers,  friends,  and  support- 


566  APPENDIX. 

ers,  when  war  raged  throughout  the  land,  but  who  have  never 
theless  met  here  to-day  with  those  who  were  our  enemies  then, 
but  are  now  our  friends  and  countrymen,  and  appreciate  with 
them  the  character  of  Lee,  and  admire  his  rare  accomplishments 
as  an  American  citizen,  whose  fame  and  name  are  the  property 
of  the  nation,  we  all  unite  over  his  hallowed  sepulchre  in  an 
earnest  prayer  that  old  divisions  may  be  composed,  and  that  a 
complete  and  perfect  reconciliation  of  all  estrangements  may  be 
effected  at  the  tomb,  where  all  alike,  in  a  feeling  of  common  hu 
manity  and  universal  Christian  brotherhood,  may  drop  their  tears 
of  heart-felt  sorrow. 

"  Therefore,  without  regard  to  our  former  relations  toward 
each  other,  but  meeting  as  Americans  by  birth  or  adoption,  and 
in  the  broadest  sense  of  national  unity,  and  in  the  spirit  above 
indicated,  to  do  honor  to  a  great  man  and  Christian  gentleman 
who  has  gone  down  to  the  grave,  we  do 

"  Resolve,  That  we  have  received  with  feelings  of  profound 
sorrow  intelligence  of  the  death  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee.  We 
can  and  do  fully  appreciate  the  grief  of  our  Southern  countrymen 
at  the  death  of  one  so  honored  by  and  so  dear  to  them,  and  we 
tender  to  them  this  expression  of  our  sympathy,  with  the  assur 
ance  that  we  feel  in  the  contemplation  of  so  sad  an  event  that 
we  are  and  ought  to  be,  henceforth  and  forever,  one  great  and 
harmonious  national  family,  sharing  on  all  occasions  each  others' 
joys  and  sympathizing  in  each  others'  sorrows. 

"Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  foregoing  preamble,  and 
these  resolutions,  signed  by  the  president  and  secretary,  be 
transmitted  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  with  a  request  that  the 
same  be  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  State ;  and  that  another 
copy  be  sent  to  the  family  of  General  Lee. 

"J.  D.  IMBODEN, 

"Ex.  NORTON, 

"JOHN  MITCHEL, 

"C.  K.  MARSHALL, 

"T.  L.  SNEAD, 

"  NORMAN  D. '  SAMPSON, 

"  WM.  H.  APPLETON, 

"  Committee  on  Resolutions" 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE. 

"On  motion,  the  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted 
by  a  standing  and  silent  vote,  which  was  followed  by  a  sponta 
neous  outburst  of  hearty  applause." 

We  have  given  but  a  small  portion  of  the  addresses  which 
were  called  forth  by  this  national  calamity,  and  these,  no  doubt, 
have  suffered  injustice  by  imperfect  reporting.  But  we  have 
shown,  as  we  wished  to  show,  the  standard  by  which  our  people 
estimate  an  heroic  character,  and  how  the  South  loves  and  honors 
the  memory  of  her  great  leader. 

A  few  extracts  from  the  English  press  will  show  the  feeling 
in  that  country  : 

THE  PALL  MATT,  GAZETTE. 

"  Even  amid  the  turmoil  of  the  great  European  struggle,  the 
intelligence  from  America  announcing  that  General  Robert  E. 
Lee  is  dead,  will  be  received  with  deep  sorrow  by  many  in  this 
country,  as  well  as  by  his  followers  and  fellow-soldiers  in  Amer 
ica.     It  is  but  a  few  years  since  Robert  E.  Lee  ranked  among  the 
great  men  of  the  present  time.     He  was  the  able  soldier  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  the  bulwark  of  her  northern  frontier,  the 
obstacle  to  the  advance  of  the  Federal  armies,  and  the  leader 
who  twice  threatened,  by  the  capture  of  Washington,  to  turn  the 
tide  of  success,  and  to  accomplish  a  revolution  which  would  have 
changed  the  destiny  of  the  United  States.     Six  years  passed  by, 
and  then  we  heard  that  he  was  dying  at  an  obscure  town  in  Vir 
ginia,  where,  since  the  collapse  of  the  Confederacy,  he  had  been 
acting  as  a  school-master.     When,  at  the  head  of  the  last  eight 
thousand  of  his  valiant  army,  the  remnants  which  battle,  sick 
ness,  and  famine  had  left  him,  he  delivered  up  his  sword  to  Gen 
eral  Grant  at  Appomattox  Court-House,  his  public  career  ended ; 
he  passed  away  from  men's  thoughts  ;  and  few  in  Europe  cared 
to  inquire  the  fate  of  the  general  whose  exploits  had  aroused  the 
wonder  of  neutrals  and  belligerents,  and  whose  noble  character 
had  excited  the  admiration  of  even  the  most  bitter  of  his  political 
enemies.     If,  however,  success  is  not  always  to  be  accounted  as 
the  sole  foundation  of  renown,  General  Lee's  life  and  career  de 
serve  to  be  held  in  reverence  by  all  who  admire  the  talents  of  a 


568  APPENDIX. 

general  and  the  noblest  qualities  of  a  soldier.  His  family  were 
well  known  in  Virginia.  Descended  from  the  Cavaliers  who  first 
colonized  that  State,  they  had  produced  more  than  one  man  who 
fought  with  distinction  for  their  country.  They  were  allied  by 
marriage  to  Washington,  and,  previous  to  the  recent  war,  were 
possessed  of  much  wealth ;  General  (then  Colonel)  Robert  Lee 
residing,  when  not  employed  with  his  regiment,  at  Arlington 
Heights,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  places  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Washington.  When  the  civil  war  first  broke  out,  he  was  a 
colonel  in  the  United  States  Army,  who  had  served  with  distinc 
tion  in  Mexico,  and  was  accounted  among  the  best  of  the  Ameri 
can  officers.  To  him*  as  to  others,  the  difficult  choice  presented 
itself,  whether  to  take  the  side  of  his  State,  which  had  joined  in 
the  secession  of  the  South, -or  to  support  the  central  Government. 
It  is  said  that  Lee  debated  the  matter  with  General  Scott,  then 
commander-in-chief,  that  both  agreed  that  their  first  duty  lay 
with  their  State,  but  that  the  former  only  put  the  theory  into 
practice. 

"  It  was  not  until  the  second  year  of  the  war  that  Lee  came 
prominently  forward,  when,  at  the  indecisive  battle  of  Fair  Oaks, 
in  front  of  Richmond,  General  Johnston  having  been  wounded, 
he  took  command  of  the  army  ;  and  subsequently  drove  McClel- 
lan,  with  great  loss,  to  the  banks  of  the  James  River.  From  that 
time  he  became  the  recognized  leader  of  the  Confederate  army 
of  Virginia.  He  repulsed  wave  after  wave  of  invasion,  army 
after  army  being  hurled  against  him  only  to  be  thrown  back, 
beaten  and  in  disorder.  The  Government  at  Washington  were 
kept  in  constant  alarm  by  the  near  vicinity  of  his  troops,  and 
witnessed  more  than  once  the  entry  into  their  intrenchments  of 
a  defeated  and  disorganized  rabble,  which  a  few  days  previous 
had  left  them  a  confident  host.  Twice  he  entered  the  Northern 
States  at  the  head  of  a  successful  army,  and  twice  indecisive  bat 
tles  alone  preserved  from  destruction  the  Federal  Government, 
and  turned  the  fortune  of  the  war.  He  impressed  his  character 
on  those  who  acted  under  him.  Ambition  for  him  had  no  charms, 
duty  alone  was  his  guide.  His  simplicity  of  life  checked  luxury 
and  display  among  his  officers,  while  his  disregard  of  hardships 
silenced  the  murmurs  of  his  harassed  soldiery.  By  the  troops  he 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE. 


569 


was  loved  as  a  father,  as  well  as  admired  as  a  general ;  aiid 
his  deeply-religious  character  impressed  itself  on  all  who  were 
brought  in  contact  with  him,  and  made  itself  felt  through  the 
ranks  of  the  Virginian  army.  It  is  said  that,  during  four  years 
of  war,  he  never  slept  in  a  house,  but  in  winter  and  summer 
shared  the  hardships  of  his  soldiers.  Such  was  the  man  who,  in 
mature  age,  at  a  period  of  life  when  few  generals  have  acquired 
renown,  fought  against  overwhelming  odds  for  the  cause  which 
he  believed  just.  He  saw  many  of  his  bravest  generals  and 
dearest  friends  fall  around  him,  but,  although  constantly  exposed 
to  fire,  escaped  without  a  wound. 

"  The  battles  which  prolonged  and  finally  decided  the  issue 
of  the  contest  are  now  little  more  than  names.     Antietam,  Fred- 
ericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  and   Gettysburg,  are  forgotten  in 
Europe  by  all  excepting  those  who  study  recent  wars  as  lessons 
for  the  future,  and  would  collect  from  the  deeds  of  other  armies 
experience  which  they  may  apply  to  their  own.     To  them  the 
boldness  of  Lee's  tactics  at  Chancellorsville  will  ever  be  a  subject 
of  admiration ;  while  even  those  who  least  sympathize  with  his 
cause  will  feel  for  the  general  who  saw  the  repulse  of  Long- 
street's  charge  at  Gettysburg,  and  beheld  the  failure  of  an  at 
tempt  to  convert  a  defensive  war  into  one  of  attack,  together 
with  the  consequent  abandonment  of  the  bold  stroke  which  he 
had  hoped  would  terminate  the  contest.     Quietly  he  rallied  the 
broken  troops ;  taking  all  the  blame  on  himself,  he  encouraged 
the  officers,  dispirited  by  the  reverse,  and  in  person  formed  up 
the  scattered  detachments.      Again,  when  Fortune  had  turned 
against  the  Confederacy,  when  overwhelming  forces  from  all  sides 
pressed  back  her  defenders,  Lee  for  a  year  held  his  ground  with 
a  constantly-diminishing  army,  fighting  battle  after  battle  in  the 
forests  and  swamps  around  Richmond.     No  reverses  seemed  to 
dispirit  him,  no  misfortune  appeared  to  ruffle  his  calm,  brave 
temperament.     Only  at  last,  when  he  saw  the  remnants  of  his 
noble  army  about  to  be  ridden  down  by  Sheridan's  cavalry,  when 
eight  thousand  men,  half-starved  and  broken  with  fatigue,  were 
surrounded  by  the  net  which  Grant  and  Sherman  had  spread 
around  them,  did  he  yield ;  his  fortitude  for  the  moment  gave 
way ;  he  took  farewell  of  his  soldiers,  and,  giving  himself  up  as 


570  APPENDIX. 

a  prisoner,  retired  a  ruined  man  into  private  life,  gaining  his 
bread  by  the  hard  and  uncongenial  work  of  governing  Lexington 
College. 

"  When  political  animosity  has  calmed  down,  and  when  Amen, 
cans  can  look  back  on  those  years  of  war  with  feelings  unbiassed 
by  party  strife,  then  will  General  Lee's  character  be  appreciated 
by  all  his  countrymen  as  it  now  is  by  a  part,  and  his  name  will  be 
honored  as  that  of  one  of  the  noblest  soldiers  who  have  ever 
drawn  a  sword  in  a  cause  which  they  believed  just,  and  at  the 
sacrifice  of  all  personal  considerations  have  fought  manfully  a 
losing  battle." 

THE  SATURDAY  REVIEW. 

This  journal,  after  some  remarks  on  the  death  of  Admiral 
Farragut,  continues : 

"  A  still  more  famous  leader  in  the  war  has  lately  closed  a 
blameless  life.  There  may  be  a  difference  of  opinion  on  the  mili 
tary  qualities  of  the  generals  who  fought  on  either  side  in  the 
civil  war ;  but  it  is  no  disparagement  to  the  capacity  of  Grant  or 
of  Sherman  to  say  that  they  had  no  opportunity  of  rivalling  the 
achievements  of  General  Lee.  Assuming  the  chief  command  in 
the  Confederate  army  in  the  second  campaign  of  the  war,  he  re 
pelled  three  or  four  invasions  of  Virginia,  winning  as  many 
pitched  battles  over  an  enemy  of  enormously  superior  resources. 
After  driving  McClellan  from  the  Peninsula,  he  inflicted  on  Burn- 
side  and  Pope  defeats  which  would  have  been  ruinous  if  the 
belligerents  had  been  on  equal  terms ;  but  twenty  millions  of  men, 
with  the  absolute  command  of  the  sea  and  the  rivers,  eventual 
ly  overpowered  a  third  of  their  number.  The  drawn  battle  of 
Gettysburg  proved  that  the  invasion  of  the  Northern  States  was 
a  blunder ;  and  in  1863  it  became  evident  that  the  fall  of  the 
Confederacy  could  not  be  much  longer  delayed.  Nevertheless 
General  Lee  kept  Grant's  swarming  legions  at  bay  for  the  wholc 
summer  and  autumn,  and  the  loss  of  the  Northern  armies  in  the ' 
final  campaign  exceeded  the  entire  strength  of  the  gallant  de 
fenders  of  Richmond.  When  General  Lee,  outnumbered,  cut  off 
from  his  communications,  and  almost  surrounded  by  his  enemies, 
surrendered  at  Appomattox  Court-House,  he  might  console  him- 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE. 

self  with  the  thought  that  he  had  only  failed  where  success  was 
impossible.  From  that  moment  he  used  his  unequalled  and  mer 
ited  authority  to  reconcile  the  Southern  people  to  the  new  order 
of  affairs.  He  had  originally  dissented  from  the  policy  of  seces 
sion  ;  and  he  followed  the  banner  of  his  State  exclusively  from  a 
sense  of  duty,  in  disregard  of  his  professional  and  private  inter 
ests.  He  might  at  pleasure  have  been  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  Northern  army,  for  he  was  second  in  rank  to  General  Scott. 
His  ancient  home  and  his  ample  estate  on  the  Potomac  were  rav 
aged  by  the  enemy;  but  he  never  expressed  a  regret  for  the 
sacrifice  of  his  fortune.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  was  often 
thwarted  by  political  superiors  and  by  incompetent  subordinates, 
but  his  equable  temper  and  lofty  nature  never  inclined  him  to 
complaint.  The  regret  for  his  loss  which  is  felt  throughout  the 
vast  regions  of  the  South  is  a  just  tribute  to  one  of  the  greatest 
and  purest  characters  in  American  history." 

It  will  not  be  inappropriate  to  reproduce  here  the  tribute 
which  appeared  in  the  London  Standard^  on  the  receipt  of  the 
news  of  General  Lee's  illness : 

THE  STANDARD. 

"  The  announcement  that  General  R.  E.  Lee  has  been  struck 
down  by  paralysis  and  is  not  expected  to  recover,  will  be  received, 
even  at  this  crisis,  with  universal  interest,  and  will  everywhere 
excite  a  sympathy  and  regret  which  testify  to  the  deep  impres 
sion  made  on  the  world  at  large  by  his  character  and  achieve 
ments.  Few  are  the  generals  who  have  earned,  since  history 
began,  a  greater  military  reputation ;  still  fewer  are  the  men  of 
similar  eminence,  civil  or  military,  whose  personal  qualities  would 
bear  comparison  with  his.  The  bitterest  enemies  of  his  country 
hardly  dared  to  whisper  a  word  against  the  character  of  her  most 
distinguished  general,  while  neutrals  regarded  him  with  an  ad 
miration  for  his  deeds  and  a  respect  for  his  lofty  and  unselfish  na 
ture  which  almost  grew  into  veneration,  and  his  own  countrymen 
learned  to  look  up  to  him  with  as  much  confidence  and  esteem  as 
they  ever  felt  for  Washington,  and  with  an  affection  which  the 
cold  demeanor  and  austere  temper  of  Washington  could  never 


572  APPENDIX. 

inspire.  The  death  of  sucn  a  man,  even  at  a  moment  so  ex 
citing  as  the  present,  when  all  thoughts  are  absorbed  by  a  nearer 
and  present  conflict,  would  be  felt  as  a  misfortune  by  all  who  still 
retain  any  recollection  of  the  interest  with  which  they  watched 
the  Virginian  campaigns,  and  by  thousands  who  have  almost  for 
gotten  the  names  of  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville,  the 
Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania.  By  the  South  it  would  be  recog 
nized  as  a  national  calamity — as  the  loss  of  a  man  not  only  inex 
pressibly  dear  to  an  unfortunate  people  by  his  intimate  associa 
tion  with  their  fallen  hopes  and  their  proudest  recollections,  but 
still  able  to  render  services  such  as  no  other  man  could  perform, 
and  to  give  counsel  whose  value  is  enhanced  tenfold  by  the 
source  from  which  it  comes.  We  hope,  even  yet,  that  a  life  so 
honorable  and  so  useful,  so  pure  and  noble  in  itself,  so  valuable 
to  a  country  that  has  much  need  of  men  like  him,  may  be  spared 
and  prolonged  for  further  enjoyment  of  domestic  peace  and  com 
fort,  for  further  service  to  his  country ;  we  cannot  bear  to  think 
of  a  career  so  singularly  admirable  and  so  singularly  unfortunate, 
should  close  so  soon  and  so  sadly.  By  the  tens  of  thousands  who 
will  feel  as  we  do  when  they  read  the  news  that  now  lies  before 
us,  may  be  measured  the  impressions  made  upon  the  world  by 
the  life  and  the  deeds  of  the  great  chief  of  the  Army  of  Virginia. 
"  Whatever  differences  of  opinion  may  exist  as  to  the  merits 
of  the  generals  against  whom  he  had  to  contend,  and  especially 
of  the  antagonist  by  whom  he  was  at  last  overcome,  no  one  pre 
tending  to  understand  in  the  least  either  the  general  principles 
of  military  science  or  the  particular  conditions  of  the  American 
War,  doubts  that  General  Lee  gave  higher  proofs  of  military 
genius  and  soldiership  than  any  of  his  opponents.  He  was  out 
numbered  from  first  to  last;  and  all  his  victories  were  gained 
against  greatly  superior  forces,  and  with  troops  greatly  deficient 
in  every  necessary  of  war  except  courage  and  discipline.  Never, 
perhaps,  was  so  much  achieved  against  odds  so  terrible.  The 
Southern  soldiers — £  that  incomparable  Southern  infantry '  to 
which  a  late  Northern  writer  renders  due  tribute  of  respect — 
were  no  doubt  as  splendid  troops  as  a  general  could  desire ;  but 
the  different  fortune  of  the  East  and  the  West  proves  that  the  Vir 
ginian  army  owed  something  of  its  excellence  to  its  chief.  Al- 


TRIBUTES  TO  GENERAL  LEE.  573 

ways  outnumbered,  always  opposed  to  a  foe  abundantly  supplied 
with  food,  transport,  ammunition,  clothing,  all  that  was  wanting 
to  his  own  men,  he  was  always  able  to  make  courage  and  skill 
supply  the  deficiency  of  strength  and  of  supplies ;  and  from  the 
day  when  he  assumed  the  command  after  the  battle  of  Seven 
Pines,  where  General  Joseph  Johnston  was  disabled,  to  the  morn 
ing  of  the  final  surrender  at  Appomattox  Court-House,  he  was 
almost  invariably  victorious  in  the  field.     At  Gettysburg  only  he 
was  defeated  in  a  pitched  battle ;  on  the  offensive  at  the  Chicka- 
hominy,  at  Centreville,  and  at  Chancellorsville,  on  the  defensive 
at  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  the  Wilderness,  and  Spottsylvania, 
he  was  still  successful.     But  no  success  could  avail  him  any  thing 
from  the  moment  that  General  Grant  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
Virginian  army  the  inexhaustible  population  of  the  North,  and, 
employing  Sherman  to  cut  them  off  from  the  rest  of  the  Con 
federacy,  set  himself  to  work  to  wear  them  out  by  the  simple  pro 
cess  of  exchanging  two  lives  for  one.     From  that  moment  the 
fate  of  Eichmond  and  of  the  South  was  sealed.     When  General 
Lee  commenced  the  campaign  of  the  Wilderness  he  had,  we  be 
lieve,  about  fifty  thousand  men ;  his  adversary  had  thrice  that 
number  at  hand,  and  a  still  larger  force  in  reserve.     When  the 
army  of  Virginia  marched  out  of  Richmond  it  still  numbered 
some  twenty-six  thousand  men;  after  a  retreat  of  six  days,  in  the 
face  of  an  overwhelming  enemy,  with  a  crushing  artillery a  re 
treat  impeded  by  constant  fighting,  and  harassed  by  countless 
hordes  of  cavalry — eight  thousand  were  given  up  by  the  capitu 
lation  of  Appomattox  Court-House.     Brilliant  as  were  General 
Lee's  earlier  triumphs,  we  believe  that  he  gave  higher  proofs  of 
genius  in  his  last  campaign,  and  that  hardly  any  of  his  victories 
were  so  honorable  to  himself  and  his  army  as  that  six-days' 
retreat. 

"  There  have,  however,  been  other  generals  of  genius  as  bril 
liant,  of  courage  and  endurance  hardly  less  distinguished.  How 
many  men  have  ever  displayed  the  perfect  simplicity  of  nature, 
the  utter  absence  of  vanity  or  affectation,  which  belongs  to  the  tru 
est  and  purest  greatness,  in  triumph  or  in  defeat,  as  General  Lee 
has  done  ?  When  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Southern  armies, 
he  moved  from  point  to  point,  as  duty  required,  with  less  parade 


574  APPENDIX. 

than  a  European  general  of  division,  wearing  no  sword,  at 
tended  by  no  other  staff  than  the  immediate  occasion  demanded, 
and  chatting  with  a  comrade  or  a  visitor  with  a  simple  courtesy 
which  had  in  it  no  shade  of  condescension.  Only  on  one  occa 
sion  does  he  seem  to  have  been  accoutred  with  the  slightest  re 
gard  to  military  display  or  personal  dignity ;  and  that,  character 
istically,  was  the  last  occasion  on  which  he  wore  the  Confederate 
uniform — the  occasion  of  his  interview  with  General  Grant  on 
April  9,  1865.  After  the  war  he  retired  without  a  word  into 
privacy  and  obscurity.  Ruined  by  the  seizure  and  destruction 
of  his  property,  which  McClellan  protected,  and  which  his  suc 
cessors  gave  up  to  ravage  and  pillage,  the  late  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  Southern  armies  accepted  the  presidency  of  a  Vir 
ginia  college,  and  devoted  himself  as  simply  and  earnestly  to  its 
duties  as  if  he  had  never  filled  a  higher  station  or  performed 
more  exciting  functions.  Well  aware  of  the  jealous  temper  of 
the  party  dominant  in  the  North,  and  anxious,  above  all  things, 
to  avoid  exasperating  that  temper  against  his  conquered  coun 
trymen,  he  carefully  abstained  from  appearing  in  any  public  cer 
emony  or  taking  any  overt  part  in  political  questions.  His  in 
fluence  has  been  exerted,  quietly  but  steadily,  in  one  direction, 
with  a  single  view  to  restore  harmony  and  good-will  between  the 
two  sections,  and  to  reconcile  the  oppressed  Southerners  to  the 
Union  from  which  he  fought  so  gallantly  to  free  them.  He 
has  discountenanced  all  regretful  longings  after  the  lost  visions 
of  Southern  independence ;  all  demonstrations  in  honor  of  the 
'  conquered  banner ; '  and  has  encouraged  the  South  to  seek  the 
restoration  of  her  material  prosperity  and  the  satisfaction  of  her 
national  feelings  in  a  frank  acceptance  of  the  result  of  the  war, 
and  a  loyal  adhesion  to  the  Federal  bond.  It  was  characteristic 
and  worthy  of  the  man  that  he  was  among  the  first  to  sue  for  a 
formal  pardon  from  President  Johnson ;  not  for  any  advantage 
which  he  personally  could  obtain  thence,  but  to  set  the  example 
of  submission  to  his  comrades-in-arms,  and  to  reconcile  them  to  a 
humiliation  without  which  the  conquerors  refused  them  that  res 
titution  to  civil  rights  necessary  to  any  effort  to  retrieve  their 
own  or  their  country's  fortunes.  Truer  greatness,  a  loftier  na 
ture,  a  spirit  more  unselfish,  a  character  purer,  more  chivalrous, 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  575 

the  world  has  rarely,  if  ever  known.  Of  stainless  life  and  deep 
religious  feeling,  yet  free  from  all  taint  of  cant  and  fanaticism, 
and  as  dear  and  congenial  to  the  Cavalier  Stuart  as  to  the  Puri 
tan  Stonewall  Jackson ;  unambitious,  but  ready  to  sacrifice  all  at 
the  call  of  duty ;  devoted  to  his  cause,  yet  never  moved  by  his 
feelings  beyond  the  line  prescribed  by  his  judgment ;  never  pro 
voked  by  just  resentment  to  punish  wanton  cruelty  by  repri 
sals  which  would  have  given  a  character  of  needless  savagery 
to  the  war — both  North  and  South  owe  a  deep  debt  of  grati 
tude  to  him,  and  the  time  will  come  when  both  will  be  equally 
proud  of  him.  And  well  they  may,  for  his  character  and  his 
life  afford  a  complete  answer  to  the  reproaches  commonly  cast  on 
money-grubbing,  mechanical  America.  A  country  which  has 
given  birth  to  men  like  him,  and  those  who  followed  him,  may 
look  the  chivalry  of  Europe  in  the  face  without  shame ;  for  the 
fatherlands  of  Sidney  and  of  Bayard  never  produced  a  nobler 
soldier,  gentleman,  and  Christian,  than  General  Robert  E.  Lee." 

We  may  add  to  these  the  following  just  remarks  upon  the 
occupation  to  which  General  Lee  devoted  himself  at  the  close  of 
his  military  career,  from 


THE  OLD  DOMINION. 

"  Surely  it  should  be  a  cause  of  thankfulness  and  encourage 
ment  for  those  who  are  teachers,  that  their  profession  has  re 
ceived  this  reflection  of  glory  and  honor  from  this  choice  of  his, 
from  this  life,  and  from  this  death.  And  it  is  enduring  honor  for 
all  the  colleges  of  the  South,  and  for  all  our  schools — an  honor 
in  which  all  may  share  alike  without  jealousy — that  this  pure 
and  bright  name  is  inseparably  connected  by  the  will  of  him  that 
bore  it  with  the  cause  of  education,  and  is  blended  now  with  that 
of  Washington  in  the  name  of  one  of  our  own  institutions  of 
learning.  We  think  that  so  long  as  the  name  of  Lee  is  honored 
and  loved  among  us,  our  Southern  teachers  may  rejoice  and 
grow  stronger  in  their  work,  when  they  remember  that  he  was 
one  of  their  number,  and  that  his  great  heart,  that  had  so  bravely 
borne  the  fortunes  of  a  great  empire,  bore  also,  amid  its  latest 


5  76  ,  APPENDIX 

aspirations,  the  interests,  the  anxieties,  and  the  hopes  of  the  un 
pretending  but  noble  profession  of  teaching. 

"  To  leave  this  out  of  the  account  would  be,  indeed,  to  do  sad 
injustice  to  General  Lee's  own  memory.  And  that,  not  only  be 
cause  his  position  in  this  profession  was  of  his  own  choice,  and 
was  steadily  maintained  with  unchanging  purpose  to  the  end  of 
his  life,  but  also  because  the  acknowledgment  of  his  service  here 
is  necessary  to  the  completeness  of  his  fame.  In  no  position  of 
his  life  did  he  more  signally  develop  the  great  qualities  of  his 
character  than  in  this;  and  it  may  truly  be  said  that  some  of  the 
greatest  can  only  be  fully  understood  in  the  light  of  the  serene 
patience  and  of  the  simple  and  quiet  self-consecration  of  his  latest 
years.  It  was  then  that,  far  from  the  tumult  of  arms  and  from 
the  great  passions  of  public  life,  with  no  great  ambition  to  nerve 
his  heart,  nor  any  great  events  to  obscure  the  public  criticism  of 
his  conduct,  he  displayed  in  calm  and  steady  light  the  grandest 
features  of  his  character,  and  by  this  crucial  test,  added  certain 
confirmation  to  the  highest  estimate  that  could  have  been  formed 
of  his  character  and  of  his  abilities.  It  was  indeed  a  'crucial 
test '  for  such  a  man ;  and  that  he  sustained  it  as  he  did  is  not 
among  the  smallest  of  his  claims  to  the  admiration  of  his  coun 
trymen.  No  tribute  to  his  memory  can  be  just  that  does  not 
take  this  last  great  service  into  the  account ;  and  no  history  of 
his  life  can  be  fairly  written  that  shall  not  place  in  the  strongest 
light  his  career  and  influence  as  President  of  Washington  Col 
lege." 

And  we  may  appropriately  close  with  the  following  thought 
ful  words  from  the  pen  of 

HON.  ALEXANDER  H.  STEPHENS. 

"In  the  darkest  hour  of  our  trials,  in  the  very  midst  of  our 
deepest  affliction,  mourning  over  the  loss  of  the  noble  Lee,  Heav 
en  sends  to  us  as  consolation  the  best  sign  of  the  times  vouch 
safed  in  many  a  day.  It  addresses  the  heart,  rent  as  it  is  in  sur 
veying  the  desolations  around  us,  as  the  rainbow  upon  the  breast 
of  the  receding  storm-cloud  when  its  power  and  fury  are  over. 

"  That  sign  is  the  unmistakable  estimation  in  which  the  real 


TRIBUTES  TO   GENERAL  LEE.  577 

merits  and  worth  of  this  illustrious  chieftain  of  the  cause  of  the 
Southern  States  is  held  by  all  classes  of  persons,  not  only  in  the 
South,  but  in  the  North. 

"  Partisans  and  leaders,  aiming  at  the  overthrow  of  our  insti 
tutions,  may,  while  temporarily  in  high  places,  by  fraud  and 
usurpation,  keep  up  the  false  cry  of  rebel  and  traitor  /  but  these 
irrepressible  outburstings  of  popular  sentiment,  regarding  no  re 
straints  on  great  occasions  which  cause  Nature  to  speak,  show 
clearly  how  this  cry  and  charge  are  regarded  and  looked  upon  by 
the  masses  of  the  people  everywhere. 

"  Everywhere  Lee  is  honored ;  not  only  as  a  hero,  but  as  a 
patriot.  This  is  but  the  foreshadowing  of  the  general  judgment 
of  the  people  of  the  whole  United  States,  and  of  the  world,  not 
only  upon  Lee,  but  upon  all  of  his  associates  who  fought,  bled, 
and  died  in  that  glorious  cause  in  which  he  won  his  immortality. 
That  cause  was  the  sovereign  right  of  local  self-government  by 
the  people  of  the  several  States  of  this  continent.  That  cause  is 
not  dead!  Let  it  never  be  abandoned;  but  let  its  friends  rally 
to  its  standard  in  the  forum  of  reason  and  justice,  with  the  re 
newed  hope  and  energy  from  this  soul-inspiriting  sign  that  it  lies 
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people  in  all  sections  of  this  country. 

"In  these  popular  manifestations  of  respect  and  veneration 
for  the  man  who  won  all  his  glory  in  maintaining  this  cause, 
present  usurpers  should  read  their  doom,  and  all  friends  of  con 
stitutional  liberty  should  take  fresh  courage  in  all  political  con 
flicts,  never  to  lower  their  standard  of  principles." 


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University  of  Cambridge.  In  two  volumes.  Vol.  I.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.75. 

"  Mr.  Macleod's  works  on  economic  science  have  one  great  merit,  they  belong  to  the 
class  of  books  that  assist  inquiry  by  setting  their  readers  thinking.  The  views  they  set 
forth  are  not  only  often  valuable  in  themselves,  but  they  are  the  generative  cause  of  ideas 
which  may  also  be  valuable  in  their  readers.  His  book?,  moreover,  are  written  in  the 
proper  way.  The  subject  is  divided  carefully  in  accordance  with  the  opinions  held  by  the 
author ;  all  classifications  when  made  are  adhered  to,  and  the  descriptions  and  definitions 
adopted  are  admirable  from  his  point  of  view,  and  in  some  cases  from  a  wider  stand-point." 
— The  Statist. 

u  The  author  attempts  to  establish  an  exact  science  of  economics  on  a  mathematical 
basis — to  establish  '  a  new  inductive  science ' ;  and  he  presents  what  he  calls  '  a  new  body 
of  phenomena  brought  under  the  dominion  of  mathematics.'  " — New  York  World. 

"Deserving  of  study  and  thorough  examination."— Boston  Post. 

A  WORLD  OF  WONDERS;    or,  Marvels  in  Animate  and  Inani 
mate    Nature.      With  Three  Hundred  and  Twenty-two  Illustrations  on 
Wood.     Large  12mo,  illuminated  cover,  $2.00. 
CONTENTS  :  Wonders  of  Marine  Life ;   Curiosities  of  Vegetable  Life ;  Curiosities 

of  the  Insect  and  Reptile  World ;  Marvels  of  Bird  and  Beast  Life ;  .Phenomenal 

Forces  of  Nature. 

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